Middlebrook, Kevin; Bensusán, Graciela; (2020) Political Change from the Outside In: U.S. Trade Leverage and Labor Rights Reform in Mexico. Foro Internacional , LX (3) , Article 241. 10.24201/fi.v60i3.2670.

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Abstract

This article examines the negotiations between Mexico and the United States regarding labor rights in Mexico within the framework of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the North American Free Trade Agreement under review. Intense pressure from the United States led Mexico to adopt a constitutional reform that significantly strengthened the legal basis for workers' democratic rights. These changes not only affected an area of ​​fundamental sovereignty of the State and one of the pillars of the Mexican political economy, they also constituted the only known area where Mexico adopted a constitutional reform in response to an explicit external demand. In the interdependent, but asymmetric, relationship between Mexico and the United States, this article asks what factors – power asymmetries between both countries, the environment in which certain decisions were made, and the negotiation strategies and political objectives of US officials Mexican government – ​​explain the nature and outcome of these interactions. The conclusion highlights the implications of this crucial case for future bilateral relations.

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