Welcome to the official website of the U.S.-Mexico Forum
The Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies (USMEX) is based at UC San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS) and is a policy research institute. Since 1979, it has been a go-to source for serious academic research on Mexico and U.S.-Mexico relations, informing the creation, implementation and evaluation of public policy.
The election of Joseph Biden as President of the United States created a prime opportunity to rethink and redesign the relationship between Mexico and the U.S. It was with this objective that we created the U.S.-Mexico Forum.
The Forum convenes a group of Mexican and U.S. scholars, practitioners and experts to propose a course for the bilateral relationship for the four years in which President Biden and Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador would govern their respective countries (2021-2025).
As a result of the Forum’s first stage in 2021, five working groups created white papers with specific recommendations to encourage cooperation and improve the bilateral relationship. These white papers were written and discussed extensively on the five most relevant issues in the relationship: migration; energy and sustainability; trade, economy, and work; security and public health; and strategic diplomacy.
On June 1-2, 2022, USMEX organized the first in-person meeting of the U.S.-Mexico Forum. Nearly 150 people convened to evaluate the progress in each issue area over the first year of Biden’s presidency. Additionally, USMEX presented the first edition of the Jeffrey Davidow Good Neighbor Award to recognize outstanding actors in the bilateral relationship whose efforts and actions help bring our two nations closer.
On May 8-9, 2023, USMEX hosted the second in-person Conference of the U.S.-Mexico Forum. During this second edition of the Forum, a group of Mexican and U.S. scholars, practitioners and experts will convene to analyze the context and key areas in the bilateral relationship, such as 1) China and North America; 2) the State of U.S. Democracy: Vigilante groups and misinformation; 3) The State of Mexican Democracy: the health of Democratic Institutions; 4) a case of regional integration: CaliBaja; and 5) bilateral issues.
Day 1: Conference
May 8, 2023
During the first day of activities, a group of Mexican and U.S. scholars, practitioners and experts convened to analyze the context and key areas in the bilateral relationship, such as 1) China and North America; 2) the State of U.S. Democracy: Vigilante groups and misinformation; 3) Strengthening the California-Mexico Partnership; 4) Soccer the New Frontier of North American Integration, and 5) bilateral issues.
Jeffrey Davidow Award 2023
May 8, 2023
To honor Ambassador Davidow’s emblematic diplomatic career and to acknowledge those who promote cooperation and understanding between the U.S. and Mexico, USMEX created the Jeffrey Davidow Good Neighbor Award.
The award seeks to recognize outstanding actors in the bilateral relationship whose efforts and actions help bring our two nations closer.
Day 2: Discussion Panels
May 9, 2023
The second day of activities opened the discussion to four of the most pressing bilateral issues: soccer as a new mechanism to integrate North America; the fentanyl threat; the uncertainty in the energy relationship; and nearshoring as a new opportunity of collaboration between Mexico and the U.S.
