From Revolutionary Nationalism to Orthodox Neoliberalism : How Nafta Contributed to Push Mexico into the Right-Wing Stranglehold

Abstract

A century ago, Mexico experienced a revolution blending liberal institutions with quasi-socialist principles. However, this country is today one of the bastions of neoliberalism and the political right in the world. How was this radical change possible?I will argue that this change resulted from a process that started in the 1940s, when a group of critics of the regime established a direct connection with the Austrian School of neo-classic economics. This connection resulted in the creation of a series of institutions that would promote neoliberalism as an alternative to the predominant revolutionary nationalist paradigm.A defining moment in this process was the adoption of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in the 1990s. NAFTA launched a process of massive ideological realignment; creating a new landscape in Mexico that brought the country closer to right-wing ideologies. NAFTA’s architect was Carlos Salinas, president of Mexico (1988-1994), who refashioned Mexico’s public administration to cater to the neoliberal project.This article offers evidence of this process, building both from historical record and empirical research. I will show that the roots of Mexico’s contemporary right-wing ideologies are old, a combination of bottom up and top down activism, and eventually structural; and are kept alive by persistent activism.