Mexico:

Bringing the story into modern day Mexican society, PRI party succeeded in holding power for an impressive 72 years until a recent election in 2000. A dramatic growth trend occurred up to about 1980 until economic trouble began to effect many of the lesser developed countries around the world. Some blame can be given to the rise in oil prices that enriched the Middle Eastern producing countries. Their windfall profits led to such large deposits that in order for European banks to provide interest payments on the wealth, a need to lure interest paying borrowers such as Mexico became prevalent. The nation took on large loan balances for years and economic catastrophe struck in January 1995 after a the new president, Ernesto Zedillo had just succeeded Carlos Salinas as the new leader of the PRI party. Due to unmanageable currency rates of the Peso to USD which was seen as a gauge in financial stability for millions of foreign investments, the new administration devalued exchange rates. The impact was severe and sparked a massive liquidation on the country's investments and increased interest rates for domestic borrowers.

The crises was ongoing through the remainder of the decade only alleviated by President Bill Clinton's relief efforts of stimulus money and agreements for free trade that promoted foreign direct investment from some major manufacturers like Ford, Volkswagen, and GM. For the majority of it's long term reign as the party in power despite evident corruption in business practices and police drug lord alliances, a calm was able to be kept over the country's people which allowed the PRI to retain it's standing in office. The 2000 elections however became a triumph for democracy as the candidate Vicente Fox of the National Action Party(PAN) broke the stronghold of it's opposition. Both of these parties maintain a pro business, rightward leaning agenda but the new hope was for a change from the disappointment caused by the financial strain and nontransparent governance.

Disillusionment has renewed in the past several years largely because of the violent drug wars that have been drawing international attention in spreading regions of the country. Most acknowledge the PRI's position of regulating the activity of the major cartels such as Sinaloa in the mid-western region by resisting eradication of the group's operations. Tensions nonetheless have grown between encroaching narco groups, most notably the Zeta's who resort to ruthless tactics of intimidation through mass killings. The violence has escalated across much of the country resulting in an estimated 60,000 people particularly near US border crossing towns, Guadalajara, and Monterrey in the West.

Felipe Calderon the recent president who just finished serving his six year term had targeted major cartel networks for arrests and showed some positive results but arrests of the major leaders languished. In the recent July elections, voters tended to advocate for someone who is able to regain order and further extend the democracy movement. A popular consensus was to revert back to a PRI party candidate Frances Nieto, whose jubilant, young charisma won the appeal of many. He narrowly suceeded and will take presedential office December 1. His opponent was the well liked alternative member of PAN, Obrador whose political background was seen as strongly qualified. He served as mayor of Mexico City, lost an upsetting 2006 presedential election as a member of Democratic Revolutionary Party, advocating a crackdown of drug crime and stabilizing economic issues.

But with Nieto in office, much is to be seen „for how the fifth most populous country can sustain itself among frictious circumstances as being described, "but things have to change, or we'll go the way of Afghanistan. The next president has an obligation to change things." It's surely to be a tough road ahead and the foundation of order in the country is likely to be tested if improvements are to be made.