Global Policy Forum

In five earlier articles, we referred to the three-day deliberations (on the impending UN reforms) that have been concluded on November 14th in the UN General Assembly. To highlight the developments, we quoted Srgjan Kerim, the Assembly President, who stated that "the debate demonstrated the clear commitment of Member States to embark upon a new stage that offers the prospect of achieving the ultimate goal of comprehensive reform"

We briefly analyzed the historical developments that have produced an extraordinarily different international environment over the past 65 years, and we insisted on the importance of the values and principles declared in Charter of the UN for the forthcoming reform. We then called for a more representative UN Security Council able to reflect today's world, and pertinently address the overwhelming aspirations for Humanism, Democracy, Freedom, Justice, and respect of the Human Rights.

We subsequently advocated for Japan, India, Germany, Italy and Brazil as additional UN Security Council Permanent Members for historical, political, and economic reasons. We insisted on comparisons to prove that there is no obvious reason to accord Veto right – in 2007 – to Russia, UK and France, without also extending it to the aforementioned five countries.

In the present article, we will go on, advocating for a more representative UN Security Council, suggesting Veto Right for further candidates, and more precisely Mexico. We will start with a comparative approach to the subject, taking also into consideration that Mexico, as UN Security Council permanent member, would collectively represent the Hispanophone world in the same way Brazil would be selected as the Lusophone world's best delegate.

The Hispanophone World

It would look as severe political bias to accept Brazil as representative of the Lusophone world in the UN Security Council, and not to extend a similar right to Mexico. The Hispanophone world represents a sizeable portion of our world with more than 420 million people in America, Europe, and to lesser extent Asia and Africa; in the US, Hispanophones totaled more than 10% in the 2000 census.

The Hispanophone world is far larger than either the Lusophone world (ca. 250 m people) or the Slavophone world (ca. 300 m people). Spanish is the second most spoken language of the West, after English; in a General Assembly with 50 members and UN Veto for 5 member states only, Spanish was already in 1945 selected as one of the UN official languages. This says a lot.

With the extension of UN Veto right to the correct representatives of the Hispanophone and the Lusophone worlds, the international body would gain tremendously in terms of representativeness. The population of the six suggested additional UN Security Council permanent members, namely Japan, India, Germany, Italy, Brazil, and Mexico (the latter two considered as the representatives of the Hispanophone and the Lusophone worlds), totals ca. 2.1 billion people.

Put otherwise, the six suggested members are a more representative choice in terms of population than the current five (5) UN Veto powers (that total 1.8 b people).

Counting together the incumbent members and the suggested candidates, we find out that the overall population of these countries (and those represented through them) amounts to almost 4 billion people, namely almost two thirds (2/3) of the world's population.

Mexico for Security Council Permanent Membership

The Central American giant represents best the Hispanophone world. In this case, as within the context of the Anglophone and the Lusophone worlds, the colony became much larger than the old metropolis! As the USA and Brazil are respectively larger than the UK and Portugal, in terms of population, Mexico is larger than Spain.

Similarly with what happens within the Lusophone environment, the colonial power is not even no 2 of the Hispanophone world. As of today, Spain (40.4 m people) is the 3rd largest Spanish speaking country, as Colombia (46 m people) ranks second. Even worse for the demographic perspectives of the old colonial power, Argentina is well poised to dethrone Spain from the third position within a matter of months, already totaling 40.3 m people (with a population growth rate 0.9%, contrarily to Spain's meager 0.1%).

Mexico may be smaller than Argentine in terms of surface (1.972.000 km2 instead of 2.766.000 km2), but Mexico leads the Hispanophone world as economic power (GDP: US $ 1.149.000.000, instead of Spain's US $ 1.109.000.000, and Argentina's US $ 608.000.000), in addition to its advantage as the most populated Spanish speaking country.

Mexico is the world's 11th most populated country, after China, India, USA, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia, Nigeria and Japan. With a population slightly smaller than that of the three other most populated Spanish speaking countries, namely Colombia, Spain, and Argentina, combined, Mexico (125 m people and 109 m people respectively) is the undisputed leader of the Hispanophone world.

Japan, Italy, and Mexico: In Parallel Orbits

This is probably the reason that Mexico's candidacy for UN Security Council permanent membership generates enmity similarly with the candidacies of Japan and Italy.

In the same way China opposes Japan's rightful position as UN Veto power, and France does its ingenious best to deny Italy's deserved right to be among the world's leading powers, Mexico's two nemeses are rancorous, incorrigible, colonial Spain (with its coarse King who cannot keep a civil tongue in his mouth), and jealous Argentina.

The former is in great despair and nervousness, as its old King's publicly noted improper address to President Chavez demonstrates; the latter sides with Brazil for a single Latin American representative in the UN Security Council, which is a pure insult and undeserved disgrace against the Hispanophone world; however, this policy seems to be supported by Spain.

Both countries' rancorous diplomats try to rekindle US and UK traditional anti-Hispanism that dates back to the 16th century! They also count on a mistaken American perception of the US interests as best served through a gradual incorporation of Canada and Mexico into a huge Anglo-Spanish entity, strong enough (with a population of ca. 450 million people, and a surface almost 50% larger than Russia's) to face China's, India's and Europe's rise. We cannot expand here on the reasons we don't see this as best suiting to US interests. We can only note that the best integration of the North American Union, which we find as best suiting to US interests, does not hinder the presence of two of its members in the UN Security Council with Veto right; already within the 5-member UN Security Council, the European Union (an economic – political model for the North American Union) has long been represented by two (2) members, namely France and England.

However, reactive tactics, similar to those of Argentina and Spain against Mexico's rightful candidacy, are a shame for any country finds reason to perpetrate them.

As a matter of fact, with a surface larger than that of France, Japan, Germany, and Italy combined, with the largest Hispanophone population, and the largest GDP among the Spanish speaking countries, Mexico – a fully democratic country of the New World – has a fully pledged right to UN Security Council permanent membership.

Mexico – the Undisputed Leader of the Hispanophone World

Mexico is the world's 14th biggest country (as surface), and the 13th largest economy. Except UN Security Council permanent members and countries herewith suggested for permanent membership, only Canada and South Korea lead Mexico as regards the GDP.

Quite indicatively, Mexico's GDP is larger than that of Argentina and Colombia combined (US $ 608 b and 374 b respectively). Comparatively speaking within the general Third World environment, Mexico's GDP (US $ 1.149.000.000) is larger than that of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria combined (US $ 437.5 b, 336 b, and 191.4 b respectively). These countries are yet three of the world's ten most populated countries, totaling a population four (4) times larger than that of Mexico, which has persistently been engaged in the path of Development, Progress and Prosperity.

With per capita GDP (US $ 10700) higher than that of Turkey, Romania, Brazil and Iran, Mexico attracts foreign investment more than proactively than Russia and Brazil do (20.4%, 17.9%, and 16.8% of the GDP respectively).

When it comes to governmental budget issues, the Mexican government's revenues (US $ 208 billion) are lower than Brazil's (US $ 244 billion) and Spain's (US $ 497 billion), but much higher than Turkey's (US $ 120 billion), Iran's (US $ 111 billion), South Africa's (US $ 69 billion), Argentina's (US $ 52 billion), Colombia's (US $ 49 billion), Indonesia's (US $ 74 billion), Thailand's (US $ 39 billion), Pakistan's (US $ 16 billion), Bangladesh's (US $ 6.6 billion), and Nigeria's (US $ 17.5 billion). In addition, Mexico's budget seems fairly balanced with expenditures (US $ 206 billion) lower than revenues.

Strong commercial partner with the US, Mexico is the world's 15th largest exporter, thus leading Spain, Brazil, India and oil-exporters Saudi Arabia and UAE. With exports totaling US $ 250 b, Mexico dwarfs Spain (US $ 216 b), oil-exporting Venezuela (US $ 65.2 b), Argentina (US $ 46.4 billion), and Colombia (US $ 25.2 billion) within the Hispanophone world.

With imports totaling US $ 256 b, Mexico is the world's 14th largest importer, thus leading India (US $ 184 b), Russia (US $ 165 b), Turkey (US $ 132 b), and Brazil (US $ 91 b).

With respect to Foreign Exchange and Gold reserves, Mexico (US $ 76.3 b) ranks 14th in the world, thus leading Italy (US $ 75.7 b), Venezuela (US $ 36.7 b), Argentina (US $ 32 b), Chile (US $ 19.4 b), and Spain (US $ 19.3 b).

As far as ICT development is concerned, with 57 m mobile telephone users, Mexico ranks 14th in the world, in close distance with Indonesia (64 m) and Pakistan (63 m) that are much more populated countries. Mexico leads France (53 m), Spain (46 m), Argentina (31.5 m), and Colombia (30 m).

With 22 m Internet users, Mexico ranks 13th in the world, thus leading Spain (18.5 m), Indonesia (16 m), Pakistan (12 m), Argentina (8 m), and Colombia (6.7 m).

Highly literate, and with a bicameral democratic political system, Mexico has eclipsed many other Latin American countries as regards the implementation of, and the devotion to, modern societies' democratic rules. We thus conclude that, suitably representing the entire Hispanophone world, Mexico has every right to UN Security Council permanent membership; if accepted along with Japan, India, Germany, Italy and Brazil, Mexico would raise the number of the UN Security Council permanent members to eleven (11).