Mexican authorities’ ongoing struggle with drug cartels continues. University of Oklahoma Spanish literature historian Luis Cortest says ongoing drug traffic-related violence would continue to be a problem until government policy changes.
“It is possible for places to change, for countries to change, for cities to change,” Cortest says. “The best example in Latin America is Colombia.”
Mexican leftist lawmakers have recently introduced a bill to legalize the sale of marijuana in the nation’s capital that is accompanied by an initiative at the federal level to regulate the cultivation and processing of the marijuana plant.
Cortest says that there are many positive trends to watch in Mexico that are overshadowed by negative media narratives about drug-related violence.
Investment in education, industry, tourism, and energy resources hold promising possibilities for the future of the Mexican people and economy, Cortest says. Cities like Puebla, Mexico, have become educational hubs for the country and serve as important examples of progressive Mexican development.
“The focus on education and youth really gives a lot of people hope about the future of Mexico,” says Suzette Grillot, Dean of the University of Oklahoma’s College of International Studies.
Grillot says that these trends and investments are incentivizing immigration into Mexico from Asia and Europe.
---------------------
World Views is a collaboration between KGOU and the University of Oklahoma’s Collegeof International Studiesto bring internationally-focused reporting and interviews to listeners in Oklahoma and beyond. Help support these efforts with a donation online.
