The curtain opens without Mexico
The scene was ready. Donald Trump brought together twelve like-minded Latin American countries in what he called the ‘Shield of the Americas’. But there was one notable empty chair: Mexico’s. President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed it this Tuesday. They did not receive an invitation.
“No, we were not invited, but no, we did not need to be invited because we already have an agreement with the United States,” Sheinbaum declared in his morning conference.
His tone was more one of disdain than concern. As if she’s been denied access to a supporting show when she already has a contract for the main show.
A script written before
The summit on March 7 included governments aligned with Trump such as those of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador and Javier Milei in Argentina. They talked about migration and security. But Sheinbaum insists that Mexico lost nothing.
“Well, that’s what (Donald Trump) decided, right? What I’ve mentioned is that we have had an understanding with the United States from before,” he explained.
He explained that there is a bilateral working group that meets monthly. For her, that channel is more substantial than any diplomatic group photo.
The accusation as a backdrop
The drama has its central conflict. At that same summit, Trump launched a direct accusation:
“We must recognize that the epicenter of cartel violence is Mexico.”
He announced a military alliance to “destroy” the cartels. A war script where Mexico is pointed out not as an ally, but as a problem.
Sheinbaum responded with data, not drama. He mentioned the “decrease in fentanyl trafficking” and the ongoing relationship with the State Department and the US Northern Command.
For the Mexican government, the important work takes place behind the scenes, in those monthly technical meetings. Trump’s great speech would be, in this reading, pure scenery.
The question that remains is simple: Is this exclusion a diplomatic snub or is it really unimportant as Sheinbaum says? In the theater of international politics, sometimes not being summoned to the stage says more than any parliament.
