OPINION By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS Ah, the fickle love of an authoritarian president. When Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) loves you, you can do no wrong. His buddy-buddy Félix Salgado Macedonio — who was repeatedly accused of rape, embezzlement and close ties with drug cartels, but still managed to garnish the governorship of the coastal state of Guerrero, albeit
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By KELIN DILLON In an op-ed published on Sunday, Nov. 28, respected daily newspaper The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) publicly lambasted Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s (AMLO) decree to automatically authorize all public projects determined to be a matter of national security by the government and subsequently placing the initiatives under the jurisdiction of the Mexican military, with the
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The Militarization of Mexico
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By THE PULSE NEWS MEXICO STAFF A full 42 percent of the nation’s armed forces personnel has been recommissioned by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) to conduct non-military jobs, according to a National Security Report presented to the president on Tuesday, Oct. 20. During AMLO’s daily press conference on Tuesday, Mexican National Guard Commander Luis Rodríguez reported that
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By KELIN DILLON Less than a week after families of the 43 disappeared students from Mexico’s Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) and the federal government to demand answers about the military’s involvement in the 2014 event, the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) Alejandro Gertz Manero released the military’s 239-page statement as
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By KELIN DILLON On Monday, Sept. 27, large festivities featuring dances, soldiers, fireworks and a speech from Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) were held in Mexico City’s Zócalo, celebrating the 200 years that had passed since Mexico’s Consummation of Independence in 1821. Large lights lit up the downtown square to look akin to the Mexican flag, with staged
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By KELIN DILLON Seven years after 43 male students from Mexico’s Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College were kidnapped and disappeared on Sept. 26, 2014, the students’ parents have demanded the federal government and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) deepen investigation into the army’s purported role in the tragic event. Allegations and evidence of the 27 Infantry Battalion of Iguala’s involvement
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By KELIN DILLON New reports from the controversial construction of Mexico’s new airport, which is newly under jurisdiction of the nation’s military, say workers on the project are allegedly being charged some 20 to 30 percent of their salaries to continue working there by their military superiors. The workers, many of whom come from the cancelled New Mexico International Airport
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By KELIN DILLON After Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) already handed his pet project the National Guard and 35 billion pesos at the beginning of the year, López Obrador decided to give them yet another 50 billion pesos on Monday, July 26, more than doubling their already-appointed budget. AMLO said the added funds will help the National Guard
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By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS There is no doubt that Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) has favored the country’s military since taking office, constantly increasing its size, powers, budget and impunity. One of the obvious reasons for AMLO’s affinity for Mexico’s armed forces is the simple fact that a well-pampered military is very unlikely to stage a coup against a
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