Mexico

The rather extraordinary new president of Mexico is Claudia Sheinbaum. She is a populist from the left which shows that populism is not ideological. She succeeds Orbrador who was also a populist. She won 59% of the vote as the first female president. She is not Mexican but a Jew whose grandparents came from Lithuania. She is a Jew in a country that is mostly Catholic and only one percent Jewish. She has a PhD in Engineering. She like Orbrado before her proudly professes her independence from the US but in practice relies heavily on US trade which has resulted in lifting 9 million Mexicans out of poverty. The original NAFTA agreement hurt Mexican workers and caused their wages to drop. The new USMCA was a boon to Mexican workers. It increased trade and investment between Mexico and the US. It helped workers to form unions and secure better wages and working conditions. It helped labor reforms and set up training centers. It made it easier for small business to participate with US government procurement. Mexico is now the US largest trade partner having surpassed China.