To former Mexican president Vicente Fox, there is nothing more empowering to a nation than a democracy.
“Our future and destiny are in our own hands,” Fox said.
Fox visited Macky Auditorium Wednesday night in an event hosted by the Distinguished Speakers Board.
Fox stressed the importance of not just an elected democracy, but a participating democracy that would work toward solving international issues. Throughout the lecture, Fox discussed themes relating to Mexico and the U.S., including drug trafficking, trade and immigration.
Fox was elected president of Mexico in 2000 and finished his term in 2006, but has remained in the media spotlight as a public speaker.
Fox, widely known for promoting drug legalization, compared Mexico’s current drug violence to the 1920s prohibition.
“I don’t believe in prohibition,” Fox said. “It didn’t work with alcohol.”
The drug violence and trafficking, Fox said, stems not from Mexico, but from its geographical location; Mexico is located between the drug-producing countries of South America and the “mammoth” consumer of the U.S..
“I wonder what happens to the drugs once they cross the border and who takes it to Boulder, Colo., who takes it to Seattle, Chicago, New York or wherever…it’s not the Mexicans,” Fox said. “The distribution is done here in the [U.S.]. We have to think about that information.”
In order to build a stronger connection between the nations, Fox stressed the importance of increasing knowledge of Mexico in the United States.
“[Mexico] is very modern and competitive and forming a strong middle class that is now reaching 70 percent [of the population],” Fox said. “Mexico is also one of the largest markets in the world…Mexico is a very solid partner with the U.S.”
Maintaining success and being competitive with the growing economic power of China must come from modernizing the North American Free Trade Agreement, Fox said.
“We need to look further into what we can do with NAFTA,” Fox said. “But instead of building bridges, we are building walls, instead of bridges of understanding.”
The wall, being the Mexico-U.S. border, Fox said, is a historical mistake. He said he thinks federal action must be taken to address the population of illegal migrant workers – action that would allow migrants and their families to stay in the U.S. as long as they held a job.
“Migrants are a special caste of people who have the willing and the passion to do better for their families,” Fox said. “They come here to work, they come here to be loyal to this nation.”
Without the employment of migrant workers, the U.S. would suffer.
“Mayor Bloomberg said that [New York City] would collapse if not for the migrant workers,” Fox said.
Students in attendance said they found the Mexican perspective on these issues refreshing.
“It’s interesting to hear someone from Mexico’s take on it, instead of hearing the U.S. spitting out information,” said Chelsea Brown, a 21-year-old junior Spanish major.
Jake Hertenstein, a 19-year-old freshman international affairs major, said he agreed.
“It’s a unique perspective…and he can communicate to us and provide information about what’s going [in Mexico],” Hertenstein said.
Other students said they wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to hear a former president speak.
“It was only a dollar [for a student ticket],” said Tory Moore, a 19-year-old freshman environmental design major.“It’s not every day that you get to see a president speak for a dollar.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Rose Heaphy at Josephine.heaphy@colorado.edu.
