The rise of drug-related violence which Mexico has experienced since 2007 has attracted a lot of attention worldwide. The rise of violence is related to the administration of president Felipe...Show moreThe rise of drug-related violence which Mexico has experienced since 2007 has attracted a lot of attention worldwide. The rise of violence is related to the administration of president Felipe Calderón, which term of office began in December 2006. Although the violence within Mexico was already at a high level to begin with, the level of violence increased even further under his government. This was due to his ‘war on drugs’ which he launched immediately after his inauguration on the first of December. This meant an extremely militarized approach, in an attempt to diminish the activities of the drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) heavily present in the country. While the final goal of the president was to limit the extent of the drug cartels to such a degree that it would no longer be a threat to Mexican national security, but instead a problem for the country’s law enforcement, the Calderón administration failed severely in accomplishing this. This has also been illustrated by the Conflict Barometer, composed by the Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict Research (HIIK), which classified Mexico’s armed conflict as an ‘intrastate war’ in 2010, which raised the level of conflict intensity from 4 to 5 (Lier 1). The focus of this paper will be the trade-off between security and human rights during the Calderón administration. With the government’s approach to enforce security in the country, they have increased both the levels of violence within the country, with disastrous results for the human rights situation in the country with not only the DTOs as perpetrators, but also the Mexican government. This paper will research whether the human rights violations by the governments can be allowed to ensure Mexican national security regarding the DTOs, and look into the factors which have influenced this. This will be accomplished by firstly establishing a theoretical framework for further understanding of the paper, followed by giving a historical context of the security issue within Mexico. For this will be looked to the period between 1970 and 2006, which should allow a clear understanding of the former authoritarian regime which is due to the recent transition to electoral democracy, extremely relevant to the security issues Mexico experienced under the Calderón government. Subsequently, it will also look into the policies related to the DTOs conducted by the governments before Calderón came into power and how these were influenced by external actors. This second chapter will also analyze the human rights situation under the authoritarian regimes before the careful transition to democracy in 2000. Naturally, both the earlier policies regarding the DTOs, and the human rights situation during earlier de Rijk 3 Mexican governments have strongly influenced the situation the Calderón government was dealing with, making it also extremely relevant to the trade-off between security and human rights during the ‘war on drugs’. The third chapter will look into the actual Calderón administration, and thoroughly analyze the policies employed during Calderón’s term of office and the human rights situation influenced by this, in order to finally make an extensive conclusion regarding the balance between security and human rights between 2006 and 2012.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
closed access
This study aims to investigate how evidence from human dentition contributes to the knowledge of cultural practices of the Prehispanic indigenous society of Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico. As such, it...Show moreThis study aims to investigate how evidence from human dentition contributes to the knowledge of cultural practices of the Prehispanic indigenous society of Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico. As such, it focusses on the expression of gender through the analysis of dental modifications. The study is twofold, as it focusses on the one hand on the dental modifications of the individuals found in the archaeological record of the city of Monte Albán, while on the other hand, it deals with the theoretical struggle to relate the biological body to socio-theoretical understanding of gender and the expression of this concept. A theoretical standpoint is chosen where the body is seen as a material culture, and changes to the body – temporal and permanent – are made to express certain cultural values, such as gender. It is assumed that the concepts of sex and gender are related, but not equal. Statistical analysis is conducted to test if there is a difference in the use of dental modifications between men and women, and the exploration of ethnohistorical sources dating from the Colonial period, are used to interpret these results. This exploratory data analysis has established that dental modifications in the skeletal assemblage of Monte Albán is indicative of different gendered identities, however future research is necessary to understand the full extent of the expression of gender through dental modifications discovered in the archaeological record of Monte Albán, and several propositions are made to aid this future research.Show less
This thesis investigates whether vigilante self-defense groups in Mexico's Tierra Caliente (Michoacán)can be considered legitimate in the context of the state failing to provide security to its...Show moreThis thesis investigates whether vigilante self-defense groups in Mexico's Tierra Caliente (Michoacán)can be considered legitimate in the context of the state failing to provide security to its citizens.Show less
In modern research of the Central Mexican manuscripts, the Codex Laud has always remained in a position of obscurity. Barely a handful of comprehensive studies of this codex have been published...Show moreIn modern research of the Central Mexican manuscripts, the Codex Laud has always remained in a position of obscurity. Barely a handful of comprehensive studies of this codex have been published over the past century. Mostly, the Codex Laud is only mentioned briefly in studies of other divinatory codices, and simply regarded as one of the Borgia Group codices, often serving as material for comparison with the other codices of this group. As such, a closer look at this codex is warranted. In this thesis, a single page of the Codex Laud takes the centre stage: page 23, the second-to-last page of the codex, which features a complex composition of calendrical and various other elements around a single central figure. This page forms the subject for a detailed analysis using the iconographical method of Panofsky in order to gain insight into the various layers of meaning hidden within its imagery. In this manner, this thesis will attempt to do what the ancient Mexican diviners did – to determine the associations and meaning(s) of the page in all its aspects and contexts.Show less
The effects of the globalization of the economy have been diverse and the fruits of liberalization have not been enjoyed by all. Neoliberal policies have opened up national markets to international...Show moreThe effects of the globalization of the economy have been diverse and the fruits of liberalization have not been enjoyed by all. Neoliberal policies have opened up national markets to international competitors. In Latin America the traditional cultivation of coffee by small farms started to become challenged due to the subjection to the competition with multinational enterprises. Farmers have set up cooperatives and the Fair Trade Organization have assisted them to obtain a fair access to the market. In addition, fair trade cooperatives intent to promote the development of the farmers’ living standards. The Fair Trade cooperative, Union of Indigenous Communities of the Isthmus Region in Mexico and Society of Small Producers for Coffee Export in Nicaragua, seem to have reduced the vulnerability of farmers to fluctuating market prices. Although, the Fair Trade cooperatives have offered farmers a platform of development and sustainability, the effects of Fair Trade and the cooperatives internal procedures are likely to be influenced by the social, economic and political context of each country. However, while limitations are present to the effects of Fair Trade, the organization has provided a positive step in the process of sustainable development and equitable international trade.Show less
This thesis will be discussing the energy sector reform that has been announced by the Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto on 12 December 2013. After a period of 77 years, the monopoly of the...Show moreThis thesis will be discussing the energy sector reform that has been announced by the Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto on 12 December 2013. After a period of 77 years, the monopoly of the state owned Petroleum Company Pemex will end and (foreign) private investment in the energy sector will finally be allowed. The reform has been announced in response to the declining production rates and is expected to reverse this declining trend. I will analyse what has caused the Mexican government to make this decision, how they are planning to reform the sector and most importantly, what impact the reform is expected to have on the national economy of Mexico.Show less
Een essay waarin de tequilacrisis in historisch perspectief wordt gezet. De tequilacrisis wordt in dit essay vergeleken met de Aziëcrisis en de Latijns-Amerikaanse schuldencrisis.
For years, Mexicans have migrated to the United States in search of the American Dream. From the moment a Mexican becomes an American citizen, the immigrant is expected to assimilate to the country...Show moreFor years, Mexicans have migrated to the United States in search of the American Dream. From the moment a Mexican becomes an American citizen, the immigrant is expected to assimilate to the country’s culture and politics. This thesis addresses whether these assimilating immigrants actually have any influence on local politics in Texas, specifically El Paso, since 1965. The research answers this question from an individual and local-level perspective of first person accounts in El Paso Texas on political discontent and influence, as well as a local perspective on the assimilation of Mexican immigrants in El Paso.This type of study has not been done before on the local level in El Paso and therefore helps contribute to research on Mexican immigration. Historians and sociologists have focused mainly on the difficulties Mexicans face when migrating into the US, but have not explored the after-effects of these migrations. Three main topics create the foundation of this research, namely assimilation, political representation, and immigration policies for Mexican immigrants in El Paso, Texas. By using literary research as well as interviews with Mexicans who live or have lived in, or close to, El Paso it was found that Mexican immigrants are assimilating to American ways, yet they remain distant when it comes to politics. Because of this distance and disinterest in the subject, Mexicans have little-to-no influence on the politics of the country. Because of the growth in their population, they have become increasingly powerful and have managed to increase their representatives in politics. Yet, when it comes to officially voting or changing policies, Mexican immigrants do not practice this power. Thus, it is very unlikely that there will be a lot of influence on politics by the Mexican community. There has been an increasing influence on the representation of Mexicans, which has empowered them slightly; however, the Mexican community is so detached from the local political system, that it is not likely to create major changes in politics in the coming years.Show less
This thesis aims to investigate and analyse the ways in which Ancient Maya sculpture at Yaxchilan may have been perceived in the past. Contemporary Maya worldview has been used comparatively to...Show moreThis thesis aims to investigate and analyse the ways in which Ancient Maya sculpture at Yaxchilan may have been perceived in the past. Contemporary Maya worldview has been used comparatively to understand how different peoples can interpret and understand material culture, such as the stelas of Yaxchilan. The author has used knowledge and information gained through his own time spent in Mesoamerica in 2011, and especially ethnographic data collected on the contemporary Maya by a variety of scholars in the 20th Century to analyse this sculpture in a way that not been attempted before. Additionally, the role and value of ethnographical data is also discussed at some length.Show less
The Classic Maya city of Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico, is a great and beautiful city, but the current appearance of the site is the result of almost two centuries of intensive research. This thesis...Show moreThe Classic Maya city of Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico, is a great and beautiful city, but the current appearance of the site is the result of almost two centuries of intensive research. This thesis investigates who the most influential explorers and archaeologist were during the 19th, 20th and 21st century, and how their choices shaped Palenque. It will also look into what literate and theoretical streams were of influence on the explorers and archaeologists. After applying theory to the data, the outcome is that archaeology is not only driven by the personal interests of the archaeologist, but also by the agenda of the funder, who seems mainly interested of the financial benefits of archaeology. In Mexico, financial benefits of archaeology come mainly through tourism, and therefore the appearance of archeological sites is high adapted to appeal to the eye of the tourist and to insure national income by means of tourism.Show less
Advanced master thesis | Political Science (Advanced Master)
open access
2012-07-06T00:00:00Z
Recently, the attention given by scholars and academics to the study of Mexican soft power and public diplomacy has not been abundant. The existent literature is not consistent enough to provide a...Show moreRecently, the attention given by scholars and academics to the study of Mexican soft power and public diplomacy has not been abundant. The existent literature is not consistent enough to provide a thorough study and explanation of how the country has so far acknowledged the concept of soft power, and more importantly, what actions need to be followed to start practising public diplomacy as a major, integral component of its foreign policy.Show less
