To Tariff or Not to Tariff? Soberanía 89
In this year-end episode of Soberanía: The Mexican Politics Podcast, co-hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth close out the year with an in-depth analysis of Mexico’s newly announced tariff package, examining the policy debate behind it and the pros and cons of this strategy.
The conversation then turns to the U.S. move to frame fentanyl as a “weapon of mass destruction,” exploring what that designation could mean for bilateral relations and why Mexico has reason to be wary given how similar declarations have been used in the past.
In the third segment, the hosts look ahead to 2026. What’s in store for Sheinbaum’s government? The episode wraps up with the return of Losers and Haters, where this week’s target is—once again—the New York Times.
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Trade Between Mexico and the US Reaches Record of $404 Billion
Mexico stays the top US trading partner at 16.5% of the total, ahead of Canada and China, just days after Washington declined to auto-renew USMCA for 16 years.
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Tariffs Without Industry: The Trap of Mexican Trade Policy Towards China
Without a policy aimed at increasing the productive investment rate to accompany the country’s reindustrialization process, trade barriers will be inefficient due to the rigidity of the productive structure.
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China Says it has Right to Take Retaliatory Measures Over Mexico’s Anti-China Tariffs
The tariffs, announced by Mexico in December, were seen by analysts as an attempt to placate the United States, whose President levied significant tariffs on Chinese goods.
