Mexico's Petroleum and U.S. Policy

📖 The Scoop

This report explores the implications of major Mexican petroleum reserves for U.S. policy in the 1980s. Mexico's petroleum development has prompted intense interest and evident confusion in U.S. public policy discussions. The present project was undertaken to do the following: (1) clarify key factors that will influence Mexico's future petroleum policies, (2) project expected policy outcomes, and (3) analyze the implications of these policies for U.S. interests and objectives. The project began at a time when bilateral gas export negotiations were arousing public controversy, which sometimes complicated the field research efforts. Although this report considers aspects of those negotiations, the major research objective was directed beyond the immediate political issues to analyze the factors, trends, and opportunities that will emerge in the coming decade. The authors' work in this area is motivated partly by their belief that U.S.-Mexican relations have entered a new era of increasing importance, complexity, and uncertainty, which may have profound consequences for a range of U.S. domestic and foreign policies. To manage the challenges of this new era in U.S.-Mexican relations, it will be necessary for both nations and their governments to raise their level of mutual understanding, insofar as better understanding will serve to improve the prospects for better cooperation. After a brief introduction, the report is divided into three sections. The first section offers a detailed analysis of Mexico's petroleum resources and production possibilities. The second section considers petroleum as a symbolic issue of profound significance for Mexican nationalism. The final section provides an assessment of these and other factors for U.S. interests, objectives, and policy options during the 1980s.

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