UIW Lewis Center and World Affairs Council of San Antonio

Host Expert Panel on U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Relations

On Wednesday, Aug. 28, the UIW Liza and Jack Lewis Center of the Americas hosted a panel discussion called, "The U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Relationship: North America as a Region," in collaboration with the World Affairs Council of San Antonio (WACofSA). Lewis Center Fellow and Ambassador in Residence Dr. James Creagan, moderated the discussion, held in the Seddon Recital Hall. Creagan was joined by former Ambassador of Mexico Gerónimo Gutiérrez Fernández, Greater: SATX Chief Business Advancement Officer Romanita Matta-Barrera, and Vice President for North American National Importers and Exporters Association of Mexico (ANIERM) Jorge Canavati.

The event, hosted in collaboration with the World Affairs Council of San Antonio (WACofSA), intended to provide a platform for the panelists to share their expertise about the Mexican region and their commitment to cross-border diplomacy. The Lewis Center has collaborated with the WACofSA on various occasions to further understanding of and participation in world affairs.

"This is a historic moment for the hugely important relationship between the United States and Mexico," said Dr. Rafael Hoyle, director of the Liza and Jack Lewis Center of the Americas. "In this moment, when you look at North America as a region rather than as a continent divided by national borders, new opportunities for continued mutual growth and development are revealed."

As someone who has had an over 30-year career as a diplomat in foreign services and has lived and worked in locations such as Brazil, Portugal, Mexico, Peru and El Salvador, Creagan helped to design a discussion that analyzed both historic and current-day aspects of the U.S. and Mexico that hold relevancy to their evolving political, economic, and cultural dynamics.

"Ambassador made up a very good selection of topics for us to discuss that are relevant to the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico," remarked Fernández. "On Dec. 12, 2022, the U.S.-Mexico relationship turned 200 years old, and I think that we've gone through three phases during those 200 years." He went on to note historic periods such as World War 2, the Cold War and the signing of NAFTA.

The discussion explored the history of that relationship and how its evolution has presented instances of both unification and division. The panelists discussed matters such as trade, immigration, labor relations, human trafficking and the recent discussion of Mexico requesting to pause its relations with the U.S. Embassy.

The panelists welcomed attendees to join the discussion by encouraging them to ask questions, allowing them to expand community perspectives and knowledge about national and global affairs.

"When you bring a number of distinguished panelists together to share ideas on a topic that they know deeply, new ideas emerge that can lead to innovative strategies and policies," shared Hoyle. That's the power of collegial conversation, dialogue and debate. The potential impact of these conversations is then boosted when you bring in an audience and livestream the event for the benefit of others who can't attend in person. We thus expose our community to new ideas, helping them to formulate opinions and arguments that are more informed and convincing. As such, we are not only advancing the Lewis Center mission, but also UIW's Mission of educating men and women who will become concerned and enlightened citizens within the global community."