Understanding Mexico’s Security Conundrum

Agustin Maciel-Padilla is Head of the Border Affairs and Security Section at the Mexican Embassy in Belize. In the Government of Mexico, Dr. Maciel-Padilla has served in the Consulate General in El Paso, Texas, as officer in charge of border security affairs. His assignments have also included security advisor to the Undersecretary for North America at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and assistant to the Political Affairs Section at the Mexican Embassy to the United Kingdom.

• Introduction 1. National Security and its external dimension 2. Obstacles to understanding national security in Mexico 3. Conceptualization: Who defines national security? 4. Execution: How national security is implemented? 5. A complex security context and the reasons for change 6. Conclusion

'An absolute must reference book for all those interested in learning about the historical evolution and current situation of Mexican national security and its components. The reader finds a unique intellectual effort that masterfully synthesizes the complexity of Mexican national security, including its external conditioning factors, internal risks and threats, key actors and the decision-making process.'Marcos P. Moloeznik, Professor of National Security, Department of Political Science, Universidad de Guadalajara 'Living next to the world’s most powerful country and largest economy often means that most Mexican foreign policy actions and decisions necessarily gravitate around the relationship with the neighbor to the north. It is in this context that Agustin Maciel-Padilla has come forth proposing some additional thinking in Understanding Mexico’s Security Conundrum.'Americas Quarterly