Sober lessons from relations with Mexico

Great powers have rarely tempered their actions out of respect for their weaker neighbors. U.S.-Mexican relations are a case in point. By 1850, Mexico had lost half of its territory to U.S. expansionism, a loss that suffused Mexican political culture with a mistrust of the United States that lingers still.

Then, in 1938, Mexico nationalized Standard Oil. Instead of deploying the Marines, FDR showed restraint under the Good Neighbor Policy and handed Mexican nationalism a crucial psychological victory. After 1940, Mexico and the United States slowly crafted a mutually beneficial relationship. Along the way, the United States gained a consideration for Mexican sensibilities.”*

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