Mexico - 54.39
88
The freest and wealthiest modern narco-state
Mexico is more democratic than the United Kingdom, freer than Spain, as wealthy as Seychelles, and finished only four points below the United States in health. Mexico is primarily held back by the dual threat of the cartels and the corruption that keeps their operation profitable. Mexico is more corrupt than Ethiopia, Viet Nam, or Egypt. All of these countries had more than double Mexico’s score for corruption, but less than half of Mexico’s overall score. Corruption is truly endemic in Mexico, limiting the country’s potential for development and allowing an in for organized crime. Mexico is involved in what could be described as a civil war against cartels, especially in the border states and the country’s far South. Clashes between the government and cartels are a facet of daily life in Mexico and regularly kill civilians. The cartels control large parts of Mexico and regularly participate in human trafficking, kidnapping, and extortion rackets. Police brutality, especially by anti-cartel units, is a major issue as Mexican police act with near absolute impunity. While the cartels are undoubtedly Mexico’s biggest obstacle to development, other problems exist as well. Mexico is a union of states that is home to several different cultural identities. Federal laws often are not supported in individual states, which has proved to be a problem for hot-button issues such as abortion. Mexico’s economy was in a backslide before COVID and it is unclear when steady growth will resume. While Mexico faces a number of pressing issues, it is a country with a number of strong foundations for development and has great potential to improve in the coming years.
Human Rights - 36
Third-party groups flagrantly violate human rights often and regularly, limiting Mexico’s score to 50. Mexico has fully abolished the death penalty. Cartels control large parts of the country. In areas under cartel control, cartels carried out extrajudicial executions against civilians and participated in human trafficking for forced labor or sex slavery. Cartels often kidnap civilians and held them for ransom, sometimes torturing or executing kidnapped civilians. Cartels ran extortion rackets in areas under their control. Cartels displayed a consistent disregard for the lives of civilians in conflicts with police and regularly killed civilians while fighting against Mexican police. Cartels are known to assault, kill, and kidnap journalists covering their activities. As a result, the media landscape in certain parts of the country is heavily censored. Anti-Cartel Police Units acted with near absolute impunity. Extrajudicial executions of suspected cartel members were common and not prosecuted. Suspected cartel members were arrested without warrant or probable cause and were often tortured in custody. Police brutality in general is a major issue in Mexico as police act with very high impunity. Murders by police are rare but detainees are often beaten during their arrest. There are occasional reports of disappearance by government officials, primarily against suspected cartel members. Prison staff did very little to stop inmate-inmate violence and many prisons were entirely self-regulating. In migrant detention centers migrants awaiting processing were held with criminals awaiting deportation. Migrants attempting to enter the country were often held in the same cells as violent criminals awaiting deportation. Police often arbitrarily arrested people and released them without charge days later. Detainees were often held incommunicado for several days. Most people arbitrarily detained in this manner were protestors. More than 38,000 unidentified bodies remain across the country; many were discovered in mass graves. Attempts to investigate these disappearances have been minimal and it is believed that most were killed by cartels. Trans rights vary across the country. It is federally legal for trans Mexicans to change their legal gender, and they can in CDMX and twelve other states circa 2021, but it is recognized nationwide. The Mexican military has a de facto don’t ask, don’t tell style policy in place. Same-sex marriage is legal in twenty-five states and is recognized nationwide. CDMX and seventeen states recognize joint same-sex adoption but it is recognized nationwide. Abortion is legal to twelve weeks at a federal level. The Supreme Court recently declared laws criminalizing abortion unconstitutional but abortion remains illegal in many states.
Democracy - 78
The president is directly elected. The president cannot seek re-election but the citizens can recall them halfway through their term. Both houses of Congress are elected through a mix of proportional representation and direct election. Elections in Mexico are generally free and fair with some noted irregularities. Over 145 people died in election-related violence during the 2018 cycle and cartels and gangs are known to intimidate voters at polling stations. President Obrador allegedly misappropriated $90,000 in state funds during his 2018 campaign. Mexico has a strong multi-party system. Congressional elections are highly competitive while presidential elections generally see several cycles of one-party dominance before shifting parties. Cartels are known to bribe politicians and intimidate voters. Organized crime exerts significant sway over politics, especially in local elections.
Freedom - 71
Police arbitrarily arrested people and released them without charge days later. Detainees were often held incommunicado for several days. Most people arbitrarily arrested in this manner were protestors. Cartels are known to assault, kill, and kidnap journalists covering their activities. As a result, the media landscape in some parts of the country is heavily censored. Media publishing in Mexico is not profitable. Mexican media outlets rely heavily on government subsidies and the government often threatens to withdraw subsidies from dissenting media outlets. Protests are sometimes dispersed with excessive force. In one instance, police used live ammunition to disperse a women’s march in Cancun, which resulted in the ousting of the police chief and the Quintana Roo state security minister. NGOs and trade unionists are frequently harassed and intimidated by organized crime. Mexican drug laws see inconsistent enforcement. Mexico recently legalized the possession of small amounts of cannabis for adults. Drug trafficking is rampant across Mexico and while drug laws see enforcement in some cities, in most of the country drug laws see little enforcement. Mexican gun laws are complicated. Mexico shall issue gun ownership licenses for up to nine semi-automatic long guns but membership in a rifle organization is required to possess long guns. Mexico shall issue home defense permits for one semi-automatic handgun. Despite this, illegal fully-automatic weapons are very easy to obtain in Mexico.
Economy - 64
Health - 76
Mexico has a life expectancy of 75 years and an infant mortality rate of 1.2%. 28.9% of Mexicans are obese and 7.2% are malnourished. Mexico’s universal healthcare system provides generally high-quality care in most parts of the country, though some areas of the country are lacking in competent staff. 93.8% of Mexicans have access to clean, running water. In some parts of the country, however, the water is too polluted to drink. This has led to the infamous and often-publicized Coca-Cola drinking habits of residents of some parts of Chiapas.
Corruption - 5
The Mexican justice system is highly corrupt, as judicial verdicts are bought and sold at all levels and the courts are highly subject to political pressure. Police corruption is rampant, ranging from petty bribery to outright systemic collusion with organized crime. Anti-cartel units are the only non-corrupt officers in the entire country. Public services must be bribed into action. Property rights are not adequately protected. Mexico’s borders are entirely porous. Smuggling into Mexico from Guatemala and Belize, and smuggling out of Mexico into the United States are all rampant. Mexico is a major part of the American cocaine run. Migrants entering Mexico from Guatemala are often harassed or extorted. Public contracts are impossible to obtain without bribery. Mining and lumber companies are very close with the government. Manufacturing companies also have a wide berth of impunity, most notably Coca-Cola. Many politicians have suspected ties to organized crime. Abuse of state funds for campaigns is rampant.
Competency - 31
The government is failing to protect people from violent crime. In addition to a high crime rate in many of Mexico’s major cities, cartels run rampant across the country. Cartels also control large parts of the country. The government is failing to enforce the constitutionality of laws, as a number of states have laws still on the book that conflict with a nationwide ruling on their constitutionality.
Future - 60
Mexico’s economy has struggled in recent years, shrinking slightly even before COVID. It is unclear when steady economic growth will return to Mexico. Mexico has recently liberalized a number of laws, legalizing both marijuana and abortion. Additionally, the government has recently made progress against cartels and cartel activity has diminished in recent years.
Actions Abroad - 52
Mexico is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement. Mexico recognizes the independence of Western Sahara. Despite a close alliance with the United States, Mexico has supported Cuba against US trade embargos. Mexico maintains good relations with the United States, being a member of NAFTA before the deal’s collapse and cooperating with American anti-cartel operations in Mexico and neighboring countries. Mexico is a major part of the American drug run. Cocaine is produced in South America and meth, heroin, and marijuana are produced in Mexico. These drugs are then smuggled North into the United States. Organized crime based in Mexico is active in American cities near the border. Cartel activity has been noted in Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Albuquerque, El Paso, Laredo, and Houston among others.
1.7% of Mexicans live below the international poverty line and 21.9% live below the national poverty line. 3.48% of Mexicans are unemployed. Mexico has an extremely high economic disparity. The minimum wage in Mexico is $8.38 per day. Mexico has a relatively strong universal healthcare system, providing care of generally high quality in most parts of the country. Some parts of the country face shortages of competent staff, as pay is lower and competent doctors generally flock to major cities or wealthy areas. The Mexican economy shrunk 8.2% in 2020 and shrunk 0.1% in 2019.