Specialized diplomacy: beyond improvised officials
The bilateral security relationship with the United States has traditionally been managed by career diplomats with generalist training or by military personnel without diplomatic experience. This generates imbalances: diplomats do not deeply understand the technical details of operations, criminal intelligence or justice systems, while the military and police lack the training to negotiate within complex international frameworks.
Mexico needs true security diplomats, professionals with dual training who combine studies in international relations, public security, criminal justice and strategic negotiation. These specialists would understand both the technical language of US agencies and Mexican domestic political considerations, allowing for substantive negotiations rather than exchanges of predetermined positions.
The role of key figures: García Harfuch and institutionality
The appointment of Omar García Harfuch as Secretary of Public Security represents a commitment to technical and operational profile. However, the effectiveness of any high-level official depends on whether he or she is supported by strong institutions or is expected to compensate for systemic shortcomings with charisma and personal availability. Mexico has tended to rely on heroic figures rather than robust institutions.
García Harfuch can be an important actor in the execution of strategy, but he cannot be the strategy itself. Their role should be that of the main executor of an institutionally designed multi-year plan, with clear attributions, a guaranteed budget, and legal protection against immediate political pressures. Delegating the security policy to one person is guaranteeing its collapse when that person leaves, is removed, or is passed over due to unforeseen circumstances.
Viable bilateral agreement scenarios
A viable bilateral security agreement is neither one that gives in to all American demands, nor one that rejects them outright. It is one that identifies genuinely shared interests and builds on them with clear reciprocity.
The most viable scenarios include: selective cooperation in criminal intelligence in border areas with the presence of specific transnational organizations, with controlled information exchange and protections for Mexican operatives; harmonization of criminal prosecution protocols for crimes that affect both nations, maintaining Mexican jurisdictional sovereignty; US investment in strengthening local justice institutions in Mexico, including funding for training and technology, which addresses root causes rather than symptoms; and agreements on non-interference in domestic investigations, protecting Mexican sovereignty while ensuring visible results on issues of US interest.
