For the past 20 years Mexico has been one of Latin America's most stable and progressive democracies. Successive governments have avoided economic and financial crisis, and have continued along a path of democratic consolidation, market economy, and institutional strengthening. But low growth and endemic corruption have undermined voter faith in this development path, and in 2018 Mexicans voted for an alternate path, one led by a populist nationalist, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO).
AMLO has embarked on an experiment to reform political and social life in Mexico, and one-year into his administration, his efforts face serious challenges. Dr. Wood will analyze the AMLO government's attempts to bring about a "Fourth Transformation" of Mexican politics and will discuss the prospects for economic growth, public security and the bilateral relationship.
Dr. Wood lectures and publishes on hemispheric issues and relations. He regularly gives testimony to the U.S. Congress on U.S.-Mexico relations, is a widely quoted source on Mexican politics, and has published extensively on this and other issues. He is the author or editor of 12 books and more than 30 chapters and articles. He is currently co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Transparency and Anti-Corruption, has worked closely with the WEF on Energy policy, and is a member of the editorial board of Foreign Affairs Latinoamerica . Over the course of his 30 year career he has been a Fulbright Fellow and a Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); an editorial advisor to Reforma and El Universal newspapers; Technical Secretary of the Red Mexicana de Energia; a consultant with McLarty Associates, the Economist Intelligence Unit, Horizon and Eurasia Group; and owner of a speakeasy in Mexico City. He studied in the UK and Canada, receiving his Doctorate in Political Studies from Queen’s University, Canada.
