DOS Naciones Indivisibles

Mexico, Estados Unidos y el camino por venir Una frontera sin ley colmada de armas estadounidenses en manos mexicanas. Historias tragicas de migrantes que mueren en el desierto. Decapitaciones, secuestros y un conteo interminable de cuerpos. Estas historias sombrias han dominado los medios de comunicacion y tambien han delineado la percepcion de los estadounidenses sobre Mexico como un pais peligroso. Sin duda, la guerra contra las drogas es real: en los ultimos anos, mas de 80 mil personas han muerto en crimenes relacionados con el narco. Sin embargo, la especialista en temas de politica exterior Shannon O'Neil afirma: Mexico es algo mas que esa macabra narrativa. De ese modo, escondido entre los titulares de los periodicos, la autora encuentra un pais que esta pasando por vertiginosas transformaciones sociales, politicas y economicas, donde se gesta una oculta revolucion de prosperidad. Se trata de un Mexico combativo con personas, comunidades, companias y actividades comerciales que en su gran mayoria estan intrinsecamente vinculadas con Estados Unidos. Ahora, mas que nunca, sostiene O'Neil, las dos naciones son indivisibles: se trata no solo de que Estados Unidos construya una nueva relacion con Mexico alejada del antagonismo, como lo indica la vieja retorica, sino de que los estadounidenses reconozcan que su futuro depende en gran parte de la fuerza de ese lazo bilateral. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION Five freshly decapitated human heads are thrown onto a crowded dance floor in western Mexico. A Mexican drug cartel dismembers the body of a rival and then stitches his face onto a soccer ball. These are the sorts of grisly tales that dominate the media, infiltrate movies and TV shows, and ultimately shape Americans' perception of Mexico as a dangerous and scary place, overrun by brutal drug lords. Without a doubt, the drug war is real. In the last six years, over 60,000 people have been murdered in narco-related crimes. But, there is far more to Mexico's story than this gruesome narrative would suggest. While thugs have been grabbing the headlines, Mexico has undergone an unprecedented and under-publicized political, economic, and social transformation. In her groundbreaking book, Two Nations Indivisible, Shannon K. O'Neil argues that the United States is making a grave mistake by focusing on the politics of antagonism toward Mexico. Rather, we should wake up to the revolution of prosperity now unfolding there. The news that isn't being reported is that, over the last decade, Mexico has become a real democracy, providing its citizens a greater voice and opportunities to succeed on their own side of the border. Armed with higher levels of education, upwardly-mobile men and women have been working their way out of poverty, building the largest, most stable middle class in Mexico's history. This is the Mexico Americans need to get to know. Now more than ever, the two countries are indivisible. It is past time for the U.S. to forge a new relationship with its southern neighbor. Because in no uncertain terms, our future depends on it.