Mexico’s inaugural pavilion at the annual conference of Nafsa: Association of International Educators turned out to be nothing to sneeze at.
Mexican officials had been worried that fears of a swine-flu epidemic could drive away potential overseas university partners and disrupt the international-education meeting, which wraps up here on Friday.
Instead, Mexico’s jauntily colored exhibition signaled decisively that the country’s universities are open for business. The display occupied a prominent corner of the
sprawling expo hall and featured 26 of the country’s institutions.
To read more, visit http://chronicle.com/news/article/6551/mexican-universites-shake-off-swine-flu-fears-at-international-education-conference.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon launched the ‘Vive Mexico’ (Live Mexico) campaign on Monday, to promote tourism and counteract the effects of the recent health emergency.”Let us tell the whole world that we are a strong nation, with a unique unity and identity. That no matter how hard or difficult the tests we have to face, particularly at the present time, Mexico is united and will overcome them,” said President Calderon, speaking at the presidential residence Los Pinos.
Together with Margarita Zavala, the first lady, and speaking before top businessmen, athletes, academics, singers, actors and other leading Mexicans, the president called for all Mexicans to promote the country as a tourist destination full of life and attractions at an unbeatable value.
Australian actor Hugh Jackman was in Mexico to promote his new movie, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and had some wonderful things to add about the country as well.
The Insider also ran a story on Jackman’s most recent visit. To view it, click here.
During her most recent visit to the United States, Mexico’s Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa stressed the importance of collaboration between the U.S. and Mexico in the fight against organized crime.
Espinosa spoke with Ronald Vitello, chief of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley sector in McAllen, Texas to discuss security matters at the re-dedication ceremony of the Mexican consular office. Her speech came on the heels of a three day visit that began in New Mexico on Sunday.
“Let’s move forward and we will win this battle against organized crime,” said Espinosa.
To read the full article from The Monitor, click here.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano commended today the seizure of 630 kilograms of cocaine by Mexican customs officials at Mexico City International Airport using non-intrusive screening equipment also utilized by DHS and training provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement —part of a major transnational cooperative effort to combat international drug smuggling and deter drug-related violence along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Over the past several weeks, we have stepped up our efforts to stop Southwest border violence at its source—the trafficking of drugs, guns and cash. This seizure illustrates how DHS is working closely with Mexico to share best practices and expertise to ensure that both countries are taking action to secure the border,” said Secretary Napolitano. “As we strengthen relationships between DHS, Mexico and our state, local and tribal law enforcement partners along the border, we will continue to deter these illegal activities and make our countries safer.”
Aussie actor Hugh Jackman will host the premiere of ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ in Mexico next week. The premiere was originally set for last month, but was cancelled amid the H1N1 virus scare. Now that all cinemas, business and schools are back open after a brief shut-down and the U.S. government has lifted the travel advisory - the show can go on. Jackman announced the new premiere date on his Twitter page, “My thoughts and prayers have been with all of those that have suffered directly or indirectly from the swine flu in Mexico.”
“I will bring Wolverine to Mexico City on May 26 to provide a moment of fun, escapism, and a treat for some of the loyal fans of the comic,” he added.
Editor of Newsweek International, Fareed Zakaria, says that the H1N1 scare is another example of crying wolf. Here is an excerpt from his article:
Take swine flu. The virus had crucial characteristics that led researchers to worry that it could spread far and fast. They described — and the media reported — what would happen if it went unchecked. But it did not go unchecked. In fact, swine flu was met by a vigorous response at its epicenter. The Mexican government reacted quickly and massively, quarantining the infected population, testing others, providing medication to those in need. The noted expert on this subject, Laurie Garrett, says, “We should all stand up and scream, ‘Gracias, Mexico!’ because the Mexican people and the Mexican government have sacrificed on a level that I’m not sure as Americans we would be prepared to do in the exact same circumstances. They shut down their schools. They shut down businesses, restaurants, churches, sporting events. They basically paralyzed their own economy. They’ve suffered billions of dollars in financial losses still being tallied up, and thereby really brought transmission to a halt.”
In today’s Washington Post, William Booth and Joshua Partlow wrote on José Ángel Córdova, Mexico’s health secretary, who is now the second most powerful man in the country. The duo praise Córdova for his willingness to talk with the news media as he defends often-unpopular decisions — closing restaurants, schools and churches, and barring fans from soccer games, as well as his ability to communicate the threat without inciting panic. Mexico and Córdova are also winning applause from global health experts for a swift, coordinated, transparent response that probably saved lives here and abroad.
Fans were back in the stands, albeit with masks, for a soccer league match in Mexico City. Spectators had been temporarily shut out of games over flu fears. (Claudio Cruz - AP)
In this weekend’s The New York Times: Week in Review, Larry Rohter wrote an op-ed worth reading on how Mexico has handled the swine flu crisis and the inevitable bilateral relationship between the United States and Mexico. Here are two good excerpts from the article:
“Just for argument’s sake, let’s compare Mexico’s management of the swine flu epidemic that broke out here last month with China’s handling of SARS in 2002. The Chinese initially tried to deny there was an outbreak, were slow to combat its spread and resisted cooperation with foreign investigators. By the time SARS was brought under control, more than 700 people had died. Mexico’s conduct has been different. The authorities may have been slow to identify the threat, but once they did, they quickly notified international health agencies, acted efficiently to prevent the epidemic from mushrooming, and began working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States. As of Friday, the death toll was 45.”
“Today, like it or not, the two countries are bound together inextricably in ways that would have been unthinkable during my time here. There is an old expression here, originally applied to economics and trade, that says “when the United States sneezes, Mexico catches cold.” The events of the last month suggest that the reverse may also be literally true. Or, as Jorge Castañeda, a former foreign minister who now teaches atNew York University, put it: When it comes to living together, “Mexico has no choice, and Washington has no choice, period.”
An interesting editoral ran in yesterday’s Washington Post on Mexico’s government and their need for more support from the United States:
Many countries get into trouble because of their own failings — bad government is the most common cause. But Mexico lately has become an example of how a nation with a relatively good democratic government can plunge into crisis because of forces outside its control. President Felipe Calderón, who took office in December 2006, first faced an epidemic of drug trafficking and related violence brought about largely by the demand for drugs in, and supply of assault weapons from, the United States. Then a financial crisis born on Wall Street spilled over into Mexico’s economy. Now the appearance of a new strain of swine flu and fears of a global pandemic have dealt another blow to the country, which has all but shut down in an effort to contain the bug.
During her most recent visit to the United States, Mexico’s Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa stressed the importance of collaboration between the U.S. and Mexico in the fight against organized crime.
