VOXXI: Central America takes center stage at IADB Conference

"Central America takes center stage at IADB Conference"
W. Alejandro Sanchez
VOXXI
November 10, 2014
Originally published: http://voxxi.com/2014/11/10/interamerica-bank-central-america-crisis/

While conferences in Washington are a dime a dozen, there’s a unique momentum in a one being hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank this month with Central American heads of state in attendance, as well as U.S. dignitaries, all in light of the unaccompanied migrant minors crisis.

The  conference that will address the present and likely future of Central America on Friday, November 14. The goal is to not simply discuss Central America’s problems, such as immigration and poverty, but also how the international community can help local governments to overcome these challenges.

Meetings withe Central Americans heads of state

The IADB’s conference, entitled “Investing in Central America: Opening Up Opportunities for Growth,” will have VIP guests such as presidents Juan Orlando Hernández of Honduras, Otto Pérez Molina of Guatemala, and Salvador Sánchez Cerén of El Salvador, Vice President Joe Biden and IADB President Luis Alberto Moreno. Also in attendance will be policymakers and entrepreneurs from the U.S., Central America and Europe.

Washington has a particular interest in Central America due to ongoing migration from that region. Hence, it came as no surprise that Thomas Shannon, a career ambassador and current counselor to Secretary of State John Kerry, travelled to Central America to meet with the presidents who will arrive to Washington next week.

Additionally, Central American policymakers will visit Washington prior to the conference in order to maintain the momentum. Most notably, on November 13, the ministers of foreign affairs of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras will participate in a conference at the Atlantic Council.

Moreover, during the IADB event the Central American presidents will unveil the “Plan of the Alliance for Prosperity in the Northern Triangle” (Prosperity Plan for short). This is an ambitious plan meant to promote development and enhance security in the region. The plan both acknowledges the region’s violence and other shortcomings but also provides concrete suggestions on how to improve the economic and security situation there.

A milestone event?

This upcoming event can be analyzed from two points of view. First, at the domestic level, this will be an important test to see how the Obama White House will work with a Republican-controlled Congress after the recent Midterm elections.

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the Senate’s likely next majority leader, has stated that while President Obama is mistaken by taking unilateral action on immigration (the U.S. president supports immigration reform), the Senate, nonetheless, wants to take action on this issue. With that said, the Republicans are in no-great hurry to promote immigration reform, particularly if this serves to increase President Obama’s popularity.

Given the adverse situation on Capitol Hill, it will be interesting to see how much Vice President Biden will promise when he meets the visiting Central American leaders, all of whom would like to see some type ofimmigration reform in the U.S. in the (very) near future. During his recent trip to Central America, the aforementioned Shannon declared that Washington wants to begin “a new type of relationship” with these countries, but that remains to be seen in the post-Midterm era.

Economic challenges in Central America

The second way to view the IADB conference is by addressing the current situation in Central America. The Prosperity Plan is important because it calls for greater integration between these three violence and poverty-afflicted states. Any follower of Latin American political history has read innumerable speeches that call for regional integration, but few initiatives have been successful in the long-term. The Prosperity Plan outlines projects that would deeply unite El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, with the additional effect of supporting the three nations overcome their collective problems.

One aspect of development of the plan worth highlighting is the focus on improving transportation to promote the movement of people, goods and services. The goal is to not only increase trade between the three countries, but also with the greater Central American region.

For example, the Prosperity Plan mentions the need to improve the corridor that connects Puerto Quetzal, a Guatemalan port in the Pacific, with Guatemala City and then with San Pedro Sula in Honduras. While none of these countries are in a position to construct a trans-Oceanic canal a la Panama or Nicaragua, cooperation amongst themselves can help them become a competitive option for the movement of goods.

Moreover, when discussing how to improve the training of local workers, the plan also states that it will “prioritize providing attention to migrant citizens who return [to their country]” so that these people can receive proper job-related training and benefit from health and educational services. The goal is for them to quickly rejoin the local workforce. This is a particularly important objective which highlights how these governments are attempting to address the effects that departing citizens have on their countries, particularly regarding the flight of qualified labor force.

Ultimately, the IADB’s upcoming conference promises a new U.S.-Central American relationship, and the launching of a new plan to integrate these three Central American states. We will have to see how many of these promises and plans become a reality.

VOXXI: How the midterm elections will impact US and Latin America relations

"How the Midterm Elections will Impact U.S. and Latin America Relations"
W. Alejandro Sanchez
VOXXI
October 15, 2014
Originally published: http://voxxi.com/2014/10/15/us-midterm-elections-latin-america

On Tuesday, November 4^th, the U.S. midterm elections will take place and Latin America is, most decisively, not an issue that will be on the ballot. The U.S. has a plethora of pressing issues that must be addressed, including a revamping economy and a new military venture in Iraq. As for Latin America, while immigration is a relevant (and divisive) issue, Latin American affairs in general are not a priority for the American citizenry.

The 2014 Senate

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs, but the main focus is on the Senate as the Democratic Party is in dire need of retaining control.

Currently, the Senate’s composition is: 53 seats held by the Democrats, 45 by the Republicans while two are Independents who tend to favor President Obama’s party. A total of 36 Senatorial seats will be decided in November. According to experts, nine races in states like Colorado, Michigan and North Carolina will be closely examined, as various incumbent Democratic senators will not have an easy time being re-elected due to the growing popularity of Republican challengers.

As for how the midterms will impact U.S.-Latin America relations, one name to keep in mind is Senator Tom Udall, a Democrat from New Mexico, known as the “most liberal” senator. He also happens to be the chairman of the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere and Global Narcotics Affairs, the Senate branch that deals with Latin America and the Caribbean.

Should Udall lose, or if the Republicans gain the Senate, we could see a drastic re-arranging of a legislative body that is critical to U.S. relations with the Western Hemisphere. Whether this is a positive or negative scenario depends on your point of view regarding Washington’s initiatives towards Latin America under theObama presidency.

Priorities

The future of the Senate is critical, as it will heavily influence the future of U.S. policy towards Latin America. For example, even though the U.S. is becoming militarily involved in Iraq (again), Washington must also promote a comprehensive hemispheric security policy to combat transnational crimes, particularly drug trafficking. Even with a reduced budget, U.S. security agencies have scored some important victories against regional organized crime. For example, in March, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Canadian Navy seized two suspicious vessels in the Caribbean; hidden in both ships was a combined cargo of 3,300 tons of cocaine.

The aforementioned senate subcommittee for the Western Hemisphere and global narcotics is precisely the type of legislative body that must support security agencies like the Coast Guard so they have the necessary resources to continue carrying out successful operations.

Unfortunately, Washington’s focus in Iraq and Ukraine, we will not see major developments towards Latin America after the elections.

This is problematic given major issues dealing with the Western Hemisphere that must be addressed. Case in point is immigration reform, which enjoyed an important momentum this summer due to the ample media coverage of Central American minors who are trying to enter the U.S. via the Mexican border. Nevertheless, an important and timely issue such as this remains unchanged. According to The New York Times, President Obama has not addressed immigration because “the issue is politically too hot.” It is difficult to foresee the U.S. president addressing it after November since he will be focused on other issues to cement his legacy (i.e. leaving Afghanistan). In the meantime, the Republican Party will attempt to block major presidential initiatives before 2016.

As for the upcoming mid-terms, the Senate and House candidates have generally focused their electoral campaigns around domestic issues. In spite of this internal focus, Latinamericanist analysts will closely follow the fate of candidates like Senator Udall, as it will affect the composition of the Senate’s subcommittee for Western Hemisphere affairs.

After November: Where to Begin?

Ideally, the 114th Congress will address Western Hemisphere affairs as a whole, not solely drug trafficking and immigration; two topics generally regarded as national security problems.

The future of U.S.-Cuba relations is an obvious place of where the Senate’s subcommittee for the Western Hemisphere should begin. In 2011, President Obama managed to ease some restrictions on travel and remittances, but most of the decades-old embargo remains in place. In recent developments, Panama has pledged to invite Cuba to attend the 2015 Summit of the Americas (diplomatic tensions over this possibility occurred in the 2013 Summit in Colombia).

Ideally, in the coming months policymakers in the White House, State Department and Congress will have serious discussions on whether this upcoming gathering can serve as a launch pad to reinvigorate U.S.-Cuba relations. However, this will largely depend on the composition of the Senate after November. (A Republican-led Senate, or subcommittee, will probably support perpetuating the status quo).

While Latin America will certainly not be in the ballot on November, that does not mean that the region will not experience the repercussions, for better or worse, of the upcoming midterms.

VOXXI: Guatemala’s president to visit Washington; discuss immigration

"Guatemala’s president to visit Washington; discuss immigration"
W. Alejandro Sanchez
VOXXI
July 24, 2014
Originally published: http://voxxi.com/2014/07/24/guatemala-president-visit-us-immigration/

Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina will carry out a two-day trip to Washington this month, in which he is expected to discuss with President Barack Obama the migration of thousands of unaccompanied Central American minors to the United States, an issue that has been making headlines for weeks.

Immigration may be a political “third rail” that U.S. policymakers want to avoid touching (particularly in election season), but that does not mean that Washington-Guatemala relations cannot improve in other areas during the meeting that will take place July 24th and July 25th.

The 800-pound gorilla in the room

President Perez Molina is not the sole Central American head of state traveling to Washington. Also visiting are El Salvador’s Salvador Sánchez Cerén and Honduras’s Juan Orlando Hernández. These leaders are also expected to meet with U.S. policymakers to discuss immigration. The three countries are regarded as Central America’s “northern triangle”, serving as points of origin for thousands of undocumented individuals who are attempting to migrate to the U.S.

It’s unlikely, however, that the Central American leaders will be effective in influencing President Obama to carry out a comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. immigration system. With the U.S. mid-term elections coming up in November, Congress will not dare to address such a sensitive and divisive political issue.

Nevertheless, President Pérez Molina is certain to have a couple of busy days in Washington. Aside from meeting with President Obama, the Guatemalan media reports that he will meet with Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States Jose Miguel Insulza, and the President of the Inter-American Development Bank, Luis Alberto Moreno.

Additionally, Guatemala’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Luis Fernando Carrera Castro, will also be in town. He and his counterparts from El Salvador and Honduras will discuss immigration issues at an event hosted by the aforementioned Wilson Center.

Areas of cooperation and tension with Guatemala

Guatemala-U.S. relations have been historically positive–the 1954 overthrow of President Arbenz notwithstanding–and so far this past year, diplomatic visits have strengthened bilateral relations. This past February, the Guatemalan leader visited Washington for a three day “private visit.” In turn, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel flew to Guatemala in April, the first visit by a SecDef to the Central American nation since 2005.

More recently, Vice President Biden traveled to Guatemala in June to discuss with the Guatemalan leadership the “root causes” of the immigration crisis.

In addition to strong diplomatic relations, Guatemala’s internal security policies go hand in hand with Washington’s objectives: strengthening security agencies to crack down on drug trafficking.

Just this past June, Guatemala created a new security unit called the FIAAT (a joint initiative of the Ministries of Governance and Security), to combat drug trafficking and terrorism. The cornerstone of this new agency are six UH-1H helicopters donated by the U.S. in 2013. Guatemala has also increased security relations with Washington’s two major Latin American allies, Colombia and Mexico.

At this point, it is necessary to add that there is one outstanding security-related issue that the Guatemalan leader may discuss with President Obama. In January, United States Congress approved the Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2014, which passed particularly severe resolutions for Guatemala. In short, Congress limited U.S. aid to Guatemala dependent on the success of inquiries into human rights violations carried out by that country’s armed forces in the late 1970s/early 1980s—specifically, the massacres over the Chixoy Hydroelectric Dam.

President Pérez Molina, a retired army general, has critiqued Washington’s decision.

One final issue to be discussed by Pérez Molina is that of trade. Guatemala is a member of the free trade agreement between the U.S. and Central America-Dominican Republic (CAFTA-DR), which was hailed as a major achievement when it was passed in 2006. Nevertheless, CAFTA has not been beneficial for the Central American state.

A June 2014 report by the Guatemalan Ministry of Economy highlights how Guatemala suffered a deficit in its trade with the U.S. between 2006 – 2013. The report explains that, in 2013, 29% of Guatemalan exports were clothing accessories, 14% were bananas and 12% were precious metals. (Coffee exports were only 8%, probably due to coffee rust). On the other hand, Guatemala’s major U.S. import is petroleum products. The report concludes that, while the U.S. was Guatemala’s leading commercial partner in 2013, Guatemala ranked as number 41 for exports and 52 for imports in the same year.

Without a doubt, the dangerous voyage made by thousands of Central American adults and minors to the U.S. via Mexico, aboard “La Bestia,” is a problematic situation that must be dealt with appropriately. However, this is not the only issue affecting U.S.-Guatemala relations. Also important are security relations, aid restrictions over human rights abuses, and ongoing trade ties that do not favor Guatemala.

Hopefully, President Pérez Molina’s visit will conclude with meaningful compromises, as there is a plethora of issues affecting bilateral relations which should not continue to be overlooked.

Cited in: Harvest of Empire: Las raíces de la migración a los EE.UU.

Harvest of Empire: Las raíces de la migración a los EE.UU.

By: Stephanie Martinez

Telemundo/Hola Ciudad

December 11, 2013

Originally published: http://www.holaciudad.com/harvest-of-empire-las-raices-la-migracion-los-eeuu-n384851#fotogaleria-id-421406

Eduardo López, creo "Línea Directa" para apoyar a la comunidad latina. Actualmente promueve el documental "Harvest of Empire" basado en el libro del periodista Juan González, donde se caen mitos sobre la inmigración.

Eduardo López emigró junto a su madre a los Estados Unidos en 1967. Estudió en la universidad de Syracuse en Nueva York, ciudad adonde, además de los estudios, aprendió algo que le marcaria claramente el camino de su vida: La justicia social.

"Desde entonces básicamente no sé porque pero yo siempre he tenido un deseo de trabajar en el área de justicia social...Que le pueda ayudar a nuestra gente", dice López.

En 1980, cuando comenzó la ola de inmigrantes refugiados de la guerra en El Salvador,  López se reubicó en Washington.Recuerda claramente pensar en que había una crisis adonde miles de salvadoreños estaban siendo explotados por empleadores y terratenientes

Asimismo, que la comunicación entre el gobierno, la nueva comunidad hispana y organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro, era inexistente. Poco a poco, su pasión por ayudar a esta comunidad fue aumentando hasta que en 1986, López fundó un programa de televisión en donde producía anuncios de servicios públicos, creando así un canal de comunicación con la comunidad hispana. El proyecto creció a lo que hoy es "Línea Directa"

Queriendo hacer más, López, junto a Wendy Thompson a quien conoció en "Línea Directa", decidió realizar un proyecto a nivel nacional con el fin de poner en la mesa el tema de justicia social para la comunidad latina.

Nunca se habían embarcado en un proyecto de tal magnitud, sin embargo, eso no fue obstáculo y así nació el documental "Harvest of Empire" basado en el libro del periodista Juan González.

"Es una película que se enfoca lo que es para mi el tema más importante de inmigración que nunca se habla en EE.UU." dice López.

"Que las olas migratorias de Latinoamérica no sucedieron así por nada, sino que cada una de las grandes olas migratorias de todo Latinoamérica, especialmente del Caribe, Centro América y de México, que son las más grandes, están conectadas directamente con acciones de EE.UU. en nuestros países de origen".

López explica que la imagen que tienen los estadounidenses de los inmigrantes hoy en día es errónea. "La conversación nacional que hemos tenido aquí en EE.UU. acerca de migración en los últimos cinco años básicamente culpa al inmigrante pretendiendo que inmigrantes simplemente llegan a EE.UU. porque no tienen oportunidades en sus países y quieren aprovecharse de los servicios y del éxito que ha tenido EE.UU. en su economía. Y eso es completamente falso".

Agrega que los EE.UU., buscando favorecer ya sean sus industrias, corporaciones, o por fines militares o ideológicos, ha estado involucrado en Latinoamérica por más de un siglo.

"Y en cada país adonde vemos las olas migratorias principales de Latinoamérica podemos ver esa conexión muy directa en a historia de las acciones de EE.UU. en ese país y el búmeran de la ola migratoria para el norte", añade López.

El documental, que fue dirigido por López y Peter Getzels y coproducido por Wendy Thompson, se enfoca en el problema migratorio de siete países: Cuba, Republica Dominicana, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua y México.

Según López, el documental sufrió de varios obstáculos, sin embargo, el más difícil fue realizar un producto que reflejara una realidad, quizás, difícil de asimilar.

"Para la persona estadounidense que no sabe casi nada de la historia verdadera de EE.UU. y Latinoamérica, darse cuenta de que EE.UU. ha actuado como ha actuado en Latinoamérica es algo muy difícil", dice López.

"Porque no va con la idea que tenemos de EE.UU. aquí en EE.UU. Entonces ese reto era muy grande de hacer una película que hablara de una realidad muy difícil muy dura pero hacerlo de una manera que no fuera anti-estadounidense. Creo que lo logramos".

López explica que tiene la esperanza de que cuando el público sepa más de la verdadera historia de la migración a este país, este tenga una respuesta más humana y justa con los inmigrantes indocumentados.

Opiniones valederas

Expertos en el tema están de acuerdo con la posicion de Eduardo Lopez, uno de ellos Alejandro Sánchez del Consejo de Asuntos Hemisféricos en Washington."Ciertamente pienso que una migración masiva de un país a otro usualmente trae consigo una reacción negativa por un tiempo, donde los estereotipos y el racismo tiende a incrementarse".

"Se puede argumentar que los gobernantes y ciudadanos de Estados Unidos deberían sentirse honrados de que hay gente que llega a arriesgar su vida para venir a este país para tener una oportunidad de un mejor futuro, como los migrantes que cruzan la frontera por México en medio de un desierto sin agua, o los que usan balsas improvisadas para venir desde el Caribe".

Sin embargo, Sánchez agrega que entiende la posición de ciertos sectores del gobierno y la población americana que se opone a reformas migratorias ya que podría llevar a una explosión demográfica.

© ZGS 2013

VOXXI: President Obama ends visit to Mexico and Costa Rica without high profile agreements

President Obama ends visit to Mexico and Costa Rica without high profile agreements
W. Alejandro Sanchez
VOXXI
May 7, 2013
Originally published: http://www.voxxi.com/obama-ends-visit-mexico-costa-rica/

U.S. President Barack Obama has returned to Washington after a brief trip to Mexico and Costa Rica. During his trip to San Jose, he attended a meeting with the Central American heads of state. The trip, the first to the region after the U.S. leader was reelected last November, occurred with lots of fanfare, but very little to show for it.

Even though no pressing agreements were reached, Obama’s trip cannot be cataloged as a failure, since he received support from Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto (EPN) for his proposals for immigration reform. Moreover, the trip to San Jose ended without any official declaration among the attending heads of state.

Mexico

Obama’s first stop on his mini tour of Latin America was Mexico, where he met with President EPN. The last time the two leaders met was in November 2012 when EPN traveled to Washington after winning his country’s July 2012 presidential election. The list of issues that were addressed, both publicly and behind closed doors, were fairly predictable. The two governments discussed increasing trade, energy deals, security issues, and immigration reform. Unfortunately for Obama, he did not go to Mexico with the U.S. Congress having ratified a 2012 hydrocarbons agreement. If he had done so, this would have been a crucial diplomatic victory, demonstrating Obama’s commitment to strengthening ties with Mexico under the EPN government.

On the other hand, EPN declared his support for Obama’s proposed immigration reform, which would provide undocumented immigrants the opportunity to legalize their status in the United States. The Mexican president’s public support for his U.S. counterpart’s plan is a diplomatic victory for the White House, even though  it does not have any political weight (i.e. EPN cannot vote in Obama’s favor in the U.S. congress),.

Finally, it is unsurprising that Obama made frequent reference to trade between the two countries, stating that “we are your largest customer buying the vast majority of Mexican exports. Mexico is the second largest market for U.S. exports.” The United States and Mexico, not just the governments but industries and population in general, are joined at the hip due to increasingly close ties between them, particularly after NAFTA came into effect two decades ago. If nothing else, the latest meetings between Obama and EPN show that any future bilateral relations will essentially be “business as usual.” We should keep in mind that Mexican presidencies last six years, which means that EPN will be in power throughout all of Obama’s second tenure as well as two years into the next U.S. president’s term. Hence, reassurances of stability (and even predictability) in bilateral ties are always a positive development.

Central America: Sizzle but no Steak?

As for Central America, Obama traveled to meet with regional heads of state, the first trip of a U.S. president to San Jose since President Bill Clinton. What may be most noteworthy about this stopover is what did not happen, namely the lack of an official resolution or agreement, there was no “Declaration of San Jose,” that the attending regional heads of state agreed upon. Nevertheless, the U.S. leader held plenty of meetings including one with some 200 Central American businessmen. Interestingly, one issue that was raised was the energy sector in Central America. The Costa Rican government reportedly wants the United States to sell it natural gas at a “precio domestico” (household prices, meaning cheaper), while President Ricardo Martinelli of Panama also lobbied for the use clean energy. Unsurprisingly, Martinelli also wants Washington to sell its natural gas at more competitive prices.

Arguably, the big winner of Obama’s trip to Central America was Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla, who received a boost by organizing a generally successful, or at least unproblematic, summit. Obama certainly did her popularity a favor by stating that Costa Rica is a country that is ready to join the “club of rich countries.” Nevertheless, the Costa Rican media quickly put such praise in a more sober manner, stating that Washington may eventually support a Costa Rican candidacy for membership in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); however, this will not happen yet, and maybe not even during Chinchilla’s presidential tenure.

Unmet Expectations?

Probably because Latin America has received so little attention during the first Obama presidency, there were unrealistic expectations of the issues that the U.S. leader could, or should have, addressed while in Latin America. Such expectations included Obama discussing the future of the embargo on Cuba, the closure of the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, or maybe even a word about the trial of former Guatemalan strongman, Efrain Rios Montt.

In addition, President Obama did not, at least publicly, discuss the outcome of the April 14 elections in Venezuela and the controversial victory of President Nicolas Maduro. The U.S. government has been reluctant to recognize Maduro’s victory, while close friends of the late Hugo Chavez, such as Bolivian President Evo Morales, have declared that they were “convinced” that Washington wanted to stage a coup in Venezuela to overthrow Maduro. Speaking of Bolivia, President Morales also recently closed the USAID  office in Bolivia, an issue that was also not publicly mentioned by Obama.

Nevertheless, Obama did take a moment to say that it was “ridiculous” to think that U.S. citizen Timothy Tracy, who was recently arrested in Venezuela, was a spy for the U.S. government. Caracas has accused Tracy of encouraging protests by students after the April elections. Unsurprisingly, Maduro responded to Obama’s statements in a very Chavez-esque way, declaring that, “there’s now no doubt that Obama himself, as the puppet of that imperial power, is behind the financing in dollars of this right wing that wants to mess with and destroy Venezuela’s democracy.” It is debatable if the latest divide between Caracas and Washington will grow in the comings weeks. Nevertheless, it seems that any hope there was that a post-Chavez Venezuela would signal improved relations with Washington, now appears to be quickly disappearing.

Quote: Univision: What Obama Can Achieve in Mexico

What Can Obama Achieve in Mexico
W. Alejandro Sanchez
By: Manuel Rueda
Univision
May 2, 2013
Originally published: http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/News/obama-mexico-trip-intelligence-sharing-economy-top-issues/story?id=19093463#.UYMTQc5Yu0x

 President Barack Obama arrives in Mexico on Thursday afternoon for a 24-hour trip in which he is expected to meet with Mexico's president, Enrique Peña Nieto, to talk about trade, security and immigration.

The details of what both presidents will discuss have not been laid out to the public. Nor has it been explained why this meeting is important, other than to "reinforce" the relationship between both countries.

But here are some concrete issues that both presidents might end up talking about and why they need to be addressed.

Security

Mexico's president has tried to shift the focus of U.S.-Mexico talks away from security, and to the economy, arguing that the relationship between both countries must expand beyond drug war cooperation. The U.S. seems to be going along with this request based on statements made recently by Secretary of State John Kerry.

But there are changes in Mexico's security policies that directly affect the United States, such as a recent decision by the Mexican government to stop direct communication between Mexican law enforcement agencies and American agencies. From now on, all requests made by the U.S. for intelligence information must be routed through Mexico's Interior Ministry.

This new policy could hamper cooperation between U.S. officers who work for agencies like the DEA and the FBI, with their Mexican counterparts, according to sources consulted by the L.A. Times. It will also give Mexico's ministry of the interior more power to decide which sorts of sensitive information can be passed along to U.S. agents.

Obama and his advisers will probably have to ask some questions about how intelligence information will be shared from now on and seek some reassurances that information will still be made available to them. They may also want to ask Mexico what it wants to do with bi-national programs that have come under scrutiny from officials in Mexico's new government.. For example, there was a program through which U.S. agents help to conduct background checks on new Mexican police hires to make sure that they have no connection to drug trafficking groups.

Alex Sanchez, a security analyst at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, believes that intelligence sharing will be a significant issue during the private meetings that will be held on Thursday, even if it has been downplayed by both sides.

He said that intelligence sharing will become more relevant as Mexican cartels increase their presence in the U.S., and also as the U.S. explores new ways to secure the border with drones.

"I think the U.S. government wants to make sure that Pena Nieto is on the same page as Obama, that he wants to pursue the cartels as consistently and aggressively as [former Mexican President] Calderon did during his presidency," Sanchez said.

Trade and North American Integration

Some economists in the U.S. and Mexico have suggested that both countries should work together in order to compete against China's economic power.

This belief that Mexico and the U.S. should be partners and not actually competitors is supported by the fact that both countries already produce many goods together with companies in the U.S. sending raw materials to Mexico, for example, where they are assembled into different sorts of products, and sent back to this country.

James R. Jones, a former U.S. ambassador in Mexico, says that North America has the human capital and energy reserves that could make it into the most competitive region in the world.

At a recent panel at the Americas Society, a Washington D.C. think tank, he suggested that Obama and Peña Nieto try to come up with regulations that make it easier for companies on both sides of the border to work together and export their products to the rest of the world.

"We need to find ways to not diminish the security of the border, but still expand and enable the commercial movement of goods," Jones said.

Another issue that both presidents should take a look at is NAFTA's legacy, says, Raul Gutierrez, a Mexican industrialist who leads the steel products group Deacero.

At the same panel at the Americas Society, Gutierrez mentioned that since this free trade agreement was implemented in 1994, the real minimum wage has fallen in Mexico by 25 percent. Under NAFTA, the number of Mexicans living in poverty has increased by 11 million, and more than 2,000 small exporting companies have closed. Mexican exports meanwhile only contain 30 percent of national content, and exports that come out of the assembly plants along the border, known as Maquiladoras, only average 3 percent of national content.

Gutierrez said that things could've been worse for Mexico, if NAFTA had not been implemented. But he argued that the U.S. and Mexico must find ways to boost Mexico's ailing manufacturing sector in order to create jobs in the country and prosperous conditions that would stop people from entering organized crime networks.

"A strong Mexican economy is in the security interests of the U.S.," Gutierrez said. "The U.S. will do well to think of North American competitiveness and not just its own in confronting the challenges of China," Gutierrez added, arguing that a more prosperous Mexico would also be a good market for U.S. companies.

Immigration

Mexico's president has been rather silent on this issue, saying only that he "fully supports" Obama's push for immigration reform. Back in November when he visited Obama in Washington, Peña Nieto said that rather than making "demands" on the U.S. President and the U.S. Congress, on behalf of the six million undocumented Mexican immigrants who live in the U.S., he wants to "contribute," to Obama's solution.

Peña Nieto may believe that Obama is on the right track, with regards to immigration reform, and that any attempts by his government to get involved in U.S. politics would backfire, and delay Obama's plans.

Alex Sanchez from the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, says that Peña Nieto's statements of support, which are likely to be repeated during this visit by Obama, are somewhat helpful.

"It's symbolic, of course, and it won't make Republicans back Obama's plan. But it looks good for Obama to get some sort of backing from the country where most immigrants come from."