Description
The Bilateral Commission on the Future of United States-Mexican Relations was formed in 1986 by a group of intellectuals,
public servants and private citizens to assess policy, problems, and opportunities between the two countries. The collection
includes drafts of the Commission's published 1989 report,
The Challenge of Interdependence, and copies of other working papers, agendas, and reports documenting the group's activities.
Background
The Bilateral Commission on the Future of United States-Mexican Relations was formed in 1986 by a group of intellectuals,
public servants and private citizens to assess policy, problems, and opportunities at a moment in time when new administrations
were being voted into office in both countries. The goal of the Commission was to improve the climate of conflict and recrimination
between the United States and Mexico by making recommendations, via published papers and a 1989 report, on how the countries
could improve relations. The Commission believed the five most important areas for enhanced bilateral cooperation were economics,
immigration, illicit drugs, foreign policy, and education/public opinion. The staff directors were Rosario Green, director
of the Matias Romero Institute in Mexico City, and Peter H. Smith, professor of political science and Latin American studies
at UC San Diego.