In this episode, Mariana speaks with Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock, and Evan Greenberg, Chairman and CEO of Chubb. They delve into the ways North America stands to benefit from current global tensions. They also discuss the notions of globalization and regionalization, and what Mexico needs to do enhance its global competitiveness, attract greater investments, and achieve its full potential. Larry and Evan also share their optimism for the region and discuss how the negative headlines we see about Mexico do not tell the full story about what is happening in the country.

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Dr. Luis Rubio, former Chairman of the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations and Chair of Mexico Evalua, about his most recent book titled On Your Marks. They discuss why the upcoming Presidential election will define the trajectory of Mexico in the near future, and whether Mexico will be able to create the necessary conditions to leverage the nearshoring wave. They also discuss various scenarios that could unfold between now and the June 2024 elections, as well as the economic and political conditions under which the next President will have to govern. Additionally, they explore the likelihood of a crisis and how the rhetoric of the U.S. Presidential election might impact the outcome of the Mexican election.

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Ken Smith, the former head negotiator from the Mexico side of the USMCA agreement and with Scott Miller co-host of The Trade Guys, a CSIS podcast specializing in trade policies.  They talk about the good, the bad and the ugly of USMCA as it approaches its third year anniversary, and how it differs from the former NAFTA. They also discuss the importance of USMCA’s dispute settlement mechanism and why the U.S.government hasn’t called Mexico to a panel regarding bio corn and the country’s nationalistic energy policies. They also speak about the potential damage caused by the U.S. for not abiding by the rulings of the panel over its interpretation of the rules of origin in the auto sector, and about what needs to be done to strengthen the rules that underpin trade and investment in North America.

In this episode, Mariana speaks with David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and former U.K. Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and Julio Rank Wright, Regional VP for Latin America at IRC. They discuss why the images of chaos and desperation seen at the US-Mexico border are just the tip of an international trend as millions of people—from around the world—are on the move due to civil wars, climate disasters, or some type persecution. They explain the difference between a refugee, an asylum seeker, and an economic migrant and clarify the necessary criteria to grant asylum or not. They also speak about the new asylum policies of the Biden Administration and what is needed to avoid people from falling into the hands of smugglers and traffickers.

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Vanda Felbab-Brown, a Brookings scholar of crime, conflict, and non-traditional security threats, and Guillermo Valdes, former head of Mexico’s Center for Investigation and National Security, CISEN. They discuss the evolution of Mexico’s cartels, the failure of the Mexican government to curtail their growth, and how they have diversified into other illegal and legal businesses. They also speak about how the lack of cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico—and the U.S. and China—is making it impossible to dismantle the Fentanyl supply chains and how Chinese and Mexican drug and wildlife trafficking activities are colliding, threatening various species and Mexico’s biodiversity.