The incoming administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (a.k.a. AMLO) will have a diverse cabinet which will attempt to redefine Mexican policies and politics in a significant number of areas. The policy agenda will centre on: increasing employment opportunities and education availability; reducing socioeconomic inequality; fostering domestic industry; and political reform. Security is AMLO’s greatest challenge; last year saw the highest recorded murder rate in 20 years, and this has continued with 2018’s expected 32,000 homicides.

Key discussion areas:

• What does AMLO’s victory mean for the future of Mexican politics?
• What strategies will the new administration adopt to address the country’s security crisis?
• What is the outlook for NAFTA and Mexico-US relations?
• What is the outlook for Pemex and oil sector reform?

Speaker:

Professor Kevin J. Middlebrook is Professor of Latin American Politics at the Institute of the Americas, University College London. He is the former Director of the Centre for US-Mexican Studies at the University of California, San Diego, and he has written extensively on Mexican politics and US-Mexican relations.