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Clinton Visits Mexico Amid Recent Frictions

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Los Angeles Times

Published: March 23, 2009

MEXICO CITY - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton ventures south of the border this week at a moment when the tricky dynamics of the U.S.-Mexico relationship are on full display.

It's too soon to call it a rough patch, but a flap over cross-border trucking and unwelcome words about the drug war have led Mexico to push back against its powerful neighbor.

As Clinton makes her first visit to Latin America as secretary, the recent frictions highlight sensitivities that are always hovering around the relationship.

The visit by Clinton and one by President Barack Obama next month will help set the tone for future dealings between Mexican President Felipe Calderon and the new administration in Washington. Calderon and former President George W. Bush, both pro-business conservatives, were generally in sync.

Mexico's drug war and border security are taking on growing prominence in Washington because of violence that has killed more than 7,000 people in the past 15 months. Lawmakers and U.S. security officials are increasingly concerned that the violence, which has featured decapitations and bodies tossed into barrels of acid, could spill over the border.

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