Cuba

Ecuador

Haiti

Mexico

United States

Venezuela

Economics

Military & Security

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security proposed a new process that would disqualify individuals seeking asylum earlier in the asylum request process, allowing authorities to expel migrants quickly if they have been convicted of dangerous crimes, according to a May 9 statement. 

U.S.: Government Announces New Process To Expedite Expulsion of Some Asylum Seekers

Politics

Wait times at the Ysleta-Zaragoza border crossing between Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, dropped after the Texas Department of Public Safety stopped conducting supplementary safety inspections on cargo vehicles, Border Report reported on May 3.

Mexico, U.S.: Texas Suspends Increased Inspections at El Paso Commercial Crossing

The Texas Department of Public Safety on April 27 began conducting increased inspections of cargo vehicles entering the state from Mexico at the Ysleta-Zaragoza International Bridge between Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, United States, Mexico News Daily reported on April 29.

Mexico, U.S.: Texas Imposes Increased Cargo Inspections

U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported a 2.3% drop in the number of arrests of migrants entering the country from Mexico from February to March, according to Border Report on April 14.

U.S., Mexico: U.S. Border Arrests Drop From February to March

On April 11, Mexico submitted formal proceedings against Ecuador in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), arguing that the latter "violated Mexico's rights under customary and conventional international law" by raiding the Mexican embassy in Ecuador on April 5, and therefore should be suspended from the United Nations, according to an April 11 press release from the International Court of Justice. 

Ecuador, Mexico: Mexico Files Complaint With ICJ to Remove Ecuador From UN

U.S. President Joe Biden on April 9 indicated that he plans to issue an executive order that would limit the number of asylum-seekers who can cross the border from Mexico, with reports indicating that the order is likely to be issued by the end of April, Axios reported on April 10.

U.S.: Biden Signals Impending Executive Order Limiting Asylum Seekers

Ecuador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a press statement declaring Mexico's ambassador in Quito "persona non grata" and demanded that the diplomat leave the country, Primicias reported April 4.

Ecuador, Mexico: Ecuador Declares Mexican Ambassador 'Persona Non Grata'

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The United States and Mexico are exploring the possibility of expanding Mexico's role in the global semiconductor value chain, according to a March 28 U.S. State Department press release.

Mexico, U.S.: Governments To 'Explore Opportunities' for Semiconductor Supply Chain Development

Assessments

Energy

Mexico's June 2 presidential election will pit former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum from the ruling Morena party against leading opposition candidate Xochitl Galvez.

2024 Elections: Mexico

Police guard stand outside the Mexican embassy in Quito, Ecuador, on April 8, 2024. 

President Noboa likely hoped the raid would show his commitment to combatting corruption, but it has only left his government with more enemies at home and abroad.

Ecuador's Raid on the Mexican Embassy Risks Backfiring on Its President

Media

Podcasts

What should we watch ahead of Mexico's elections?

Essential Geopolitics: Mexico Elections Primer

Columns

On Geopolitics

China

Vietnam

U.S.-China Relations

In the coming years, rising nationalist and anti-globalization ideologies will likely lead to heightened geopolitical competition and trade/technological fragmentation that will impact relations between countries.

Can Globalization Survive in an Increasingly Fragmented World?

Argentina

Brazil

Colombia

El Salvador

Panama

Peru

Flooding on the Rimac River on March 18, 2017, in Chosica, at the foot of the Andes east of Lima, Peru. The current El Nino contributed to floods, crop failure, heat waves and drought across Latin America in 2023, and its effects will persist until it lifts in the second quarter of 2024.

The current El Nino contributed to floods, crop failure, heat waves and drought across Latin America in 2023, and its effects will persist until it lifts in the second quarter of 2024.

How El Nino Will Impact Latin America in 2024

Different currency exchanges are seen outside the Mexican Stock Exchange building at Reforma Avenue in Mexico City on Jan. 5, 2024. 

Mexico and Brazil are better positioned to take advantage of falling U.S. interest rates than Argentina, where political and economic uncertainty will remain high as its new president's reforms are tested.

How Will Changing Global Conditions Impact Latin America's Largest Economies?

Burkina Faso

Mali

Niger

South Africa

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Turkey

Hong Kong SAR, China

Japan

South Korea

Taiwan

France

United Kingdom

Poland

Spain

Italy

Armenia

Ukraine

Azerbaijan

Russia

Bangladesh

India

Pakistan

In this scorecard, we take a critical look at our successes and slip-ups in forecasting geopolitical events over the past year.

Grading Our 2023 Annual Forecast

Tunisia

The U.S. and Mexican flags. On Dec. 27, a delegation of top U.S. officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas is expected to travel to Mexico to meet with President Lopez Obrador to discuss ways to address the recent surge of migrants on the southern U.S. border.

Social Issues

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. and Mexican Officials Talk Migration, Putin Meets With CIS Leaders

In an aerial view, migrants are seen grouped together while waiting to be processed on the Mexican side of the border in El Paso, Texas, on Sept. 21, 2023. 

The influx of migrants trying to enter the U.S. from Mexico is creating supply chain bottlenecks and fueling pre-election political tensions in both countries.

The Political and Economic Implications of the U.S.-Mexico Border Crisis

Snapshots

Costa Rica

Nicaragua

Strained government resources, increased organized crime, political tensions and supply chain disruptions are likely to rise in tandem with migration.

How Record Migration Will Impact Central America

How will the recent controversy surrounding Morena's presidential nomination process impact Mexico's 2024 election?

Essential Geopolitics: The Outlook for Mexico's Ruling Morena Party

Why were some countries better able to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19?

Essential Geopolitics: The Economic Outlook for Brazil and Mexico

Mexico is defined by dramatic geographic features that have shaped the country's politics. Forming the southern portion of North America, Mexico borders the tropical Central American isthmus, a broad band that defines Mexico's northern border with the United States. To the east and west, the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental dominate the Pacific and the Caribbean coasts, forming highlands that cradle of the modern heart of Mexico. The desolate Baja California peninsula shields approaches from the western sea. To the east, the tropical limestone outcropping named the Yucatán peninsula dominates entry from the Caribbean into the Gulf of Mexico. Mexico's central valley, which includes Mexico City and the adjacent Veracruz region, form Mexico's core.     To control Mexico City is to control Mexico, and the greatest conventional threats to Mexico City have traditionally come from the deepwater Port city of Veracruz. Since the 16th century, Spain, France and the United States &mdash; not to mention numerous mutinous factions of the Mexican military &mdash; have used Veracruz to threaten and even conquer what is now Mexico City. Mexico's mountains and frontier territories are traditional hotbeds of unrest. From the rebels of Chihuahua to the drug kingpins of Tierra Caliente and Sinaloa, the historical and ongoing challenge for Mexico is to subdue and incorporate far-flung, geographically-isolated communities. The modern expression of this struggle can be seen in today's war with drug trafficking organizations, but it is a pattern that has been repeated throughout history and has been shaped by Mexico's physical geography. 

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S.: Government Announces New Process To Expedite Expulsion of Some Asylum Seekers

Mexico, U.S.: Texas Suspends Increased Inspections at El Paso Commercial Crossing

Mexico, U.S.: Texas Imposes Increased Cargo Inspections

U.S., Mexico: U.S. Border Arrests Drop From February to March

Ecuador, Mexico: Mexico Files Complaint With ICJ to Remove Ecuador From UN

U.S.: Biden Signals Impending Executive Order Limiting Asylum Seekers

Ecuador, Mexico: Ecuador Declares Mexican Ambassador 'Persona Non Grata'

Mexico, U.S.: Governments To 'Explore Opportunities' for Semiconductor Supply Chain Development

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support