This is a sign that Biden wants to restore his relationship with the Mexican leader who has developed a close personal relationship with former President Donald Trump, sources told the CNN on the content of the call.
In the months following Biden’s election victory, López Obrador – known in Mexico as AMLO – challenged his new counterpart by voicing the relationship he developed with Trump and making controversial security policy decisions. It will take a tremendous personal commitment on both sides to get the Biden-López Obrador relationship on a positive footing, explain people who are watching the relationship closely.
“I think the government, and President Biden in particular, believes that the past should do the past. He wants to build a constructive relationship from now on,” said former Mexican Ambassador to the United States Arturo Sarukhan, reflecting on the friendly initial call most controversial issues. “But as with most things in life, the saying goes: in this case, there are two for tango, or two for salsa. And the question is whether López Obrador wants to work with his American counterpart.”
By contrast, the readings of the phone call last week seemed soft and friendly. It was the second call Biden had with a world leader after his conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The White House said the two leaders focused largely on migration – and agreed to “work closely together” to stem irregular immigration, and to coordinate to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This is a sign that the relationship can start moving in the right direction with the phone call. It is an important relationship for both countries and it is important that the relationship stabilizes,” said Bill Richardson, the former governor of New Mexico, said.
But there is more than rhetoric to solve. Fabric and style are also expected to be barriers.
López Obrador undertook actions emphasizing the relationship with the US before Biden accepted the presidency.
‘Shot over the bow’
“It was a shot in the arm,” Sarukhan said, adding that AMLO also recently said it was considering taking action against the US for allegedly fabricating information in the Cienfuegos investigation. “Are you trying to use it now as a point of negotiation with the incoming Biden administration, or is it just that you do not understand how the relationship works? This is the question I have not been able to answer yet. Like so many things in life can it’s a combination of both. ‘
The security aspects of the relationship and the future of Trump’s boundary wall do not come to the fore in the initial conversation between the two, according to the readings and sources familiar with the call, adding that it is unclear when the more difficult issues will be addressed. word. But they all agree that these problems can not be avoided.
“The overriding concern is that the incredibly essential and strategic relationship between intelligence, security and law enforcement between the two countries must be on good footing,” Sarukhan said. “I think the government should send out the message clearly that in the aftermath of 9/11 it is not just about drugs, it is about much more in terms of general safety regulations.”
But it can be a challenge to get the two leaders synchronized across issues across the board.
Known for being able to establish close personal relationships with world leaders, Biden will be tasked with developing a personal bond with López Obrador, whose leadership style does not reflect this.
Schmoozing will be required
“You build the relationship because it’s so important. Biden is a very good personal politician, just like López Obrador. They are good shoemakers,” said Richardson, who also added: “there are going to be differences.”
The two leaders do not share the same bombastic and transactional management style, and López Obrador is a populist who built a political brand on his own cult of personality, which led him to bond with Trump.
And even the pandemic is an area where the two leaders will have a challenge to see face to face. The two leaders took a contrasting approach to the crisis, destroying both nations. Biden was very clear about the need to wear masks and maintain social distance, while López Obrador rejected the virus and traveled throughout the country during the pandemic, often without wearing a mask.