Economic Integration and Energy in Mexico, Before and After NAFTA

The dynamics of economic integration in North America revolves around the U.S. economy, which powerfully projects its national security interests, especially in the sphere of energy. As a country with relatively abundant nonrenewable natural resources, Mexico continues to experience the negative effects of NAFTA. The promises of prosperity resulting from free trade seem more remote by the day, and the country has witnessed the exhaustion of its resources, environmental problems, and loss of sovereignty, together with a setback for its energy companies, specifically PEMEX. The administration of President Enrique Pena Nieto is currently pursuing a program of hyperprivatization and deregulation, with the aim of opening up to private investment in strategic areas such as energy. This sector was constitutionally reserved for the nation, meaning that this is a backward step historically, which threatens both the Mexican and the U.S. population.