Abstract

HAMO YEGER, Moshe Ben  and  PEREZ RICART, Carlos A.. Mexico’s jekyll and hyde firearms policy. Foro int [online]. 2022, vol.62, n.4, pp.839-876.  Epub Dec 13, 2022. ISSN 0185-013X.  https://doi.org/10.24201/fi.v62i4.2890.

This paper addresses the issue of Mexico’s (very active) foreign policy on the regulation of firearms and the domestic lack of compliance with a number of treaties that the Foreign Ministry promotes in multilateral forums. The principal hypothesis is that the gap between active foreign policy and the absence of domestic measures is explained by the resistance of domestic actors and the lack of a coordinated policy on firearms at the federal level. Although the Foreign Ministry has adopted an activist and leading policy on the matter, this forms a part of the diplomatic tradition that favors disarmament, non-proliferation and a peaceful solution to conflicts. It is argued that recent diplomatic actions in response to the illegal trafficking of arms have been isolated initiatives.

As well as contributing to the literature on the interaction between foreign policy and domestic policy on firearms (an issue that has received insufficient attention), the aim of this text is to present a comprehensive analysis of Mexican government policy on the issue, including its contradictions and areas of opportunity.

Keywords : firearms; security; international arms regime; relationship between foreign policy and domestic policy.