Mexican Council on Foreign Relations

The Mexican Council on Foreign Relations, commonly known by its Spanish acronym COMEXI, is a Mexican civic association and independent nonprofit organization focused on international affairs. Established on November 22, 2001, it was created to provide a plural and multidisciplinary setting in which Mexican society could examine the country’s place in the world and consider how international developments affect Mexico’s domestic agenda. The council is independent of the government and is financed by contributions from its members. COMEXI’s membership brings together more than 450 people from different sectors and ideological perspectives. Its membership structure includes an Ordinary Program and three specialized programs. The Corporate Program is intended for leading companies; the Institutional Program includes foreign embassies in Mexico, international organizations with offices in the country, and research and teaching institutions; and the Term-Member Program is designed to support the development of future leaders. This composition allows the council to convene representatives of business, government-related institutions, academia, diplomacy, civil society, and the media without presenting itself as a government body. The council’s principal role is to encourage informed discussion of Mexico’s international relations. It organizes seminars, workshops, conferences, and working meetings that bring together Mexican participants and counterparts from other countries. These activities are intended both to exchange ideas and to make experience and analysis available to people involved in, or interested in, the formulation and implementation of Mexico’s external relations. COMEXI also seeks to create institutional connections with counterpart organizations abroad and to develop research projects on issues relevant to decision-makers. Research and publication are important parts of its work. The council has produced original material, including the recurring opinion survey “Mexico and the World,” prepared jointly with the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas. It has also published a collection of papers addressing significant international-affairs questions. Through its information center, the organization makes research and specialist articles available on the global agenda, organized into regional and thematic categories. COMEXI maintains relationships with foreign-policy and international-affairs organizations in North America, Latin America, and other regions. Its partners and counterparts have included the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the Council of the Americas, the Pacific Council on International Policy, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. It has also worked with councils and institutes in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru, and India. Since 2003, COMEXI and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars have operated an academic-stay program supporting research on Mexico–United States bilateral relations, with several specialists undertaking annual research stays at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. The council has also developed a public-profile function. By September 2013, it had participated in radio and television analysis, while more than 30 members were described as contributing regularly to the press. Its open and informal deliberative culture helped make it a venue for exchanges involving visiting officials, specialists, and other people interested in Mexico’s international position. COMEXI is therefore best understood not as a commercial brand or a government agency, but as a policy forum, research platform, and membership organization that connects Mexican and international perspectives on foreign affairs.

COMEXI was established on November 22, 2001, as an independent Mexican civic association devoted to international-affairs debate and analysis. Its founding purpose was to create a forum broad enough to include multiple sectors and viewpoints in Mexican society while also facilitating exchanges with counterparts abroad. The organization was structured as a nonprofit independent of the government and supported financially by member contributions. From the outset, the council’s activities combined convening, research, and institutional networking. It organized seminars, workshops, conferences, and working meetings on questions relevant to Mexico’s external relations and the effect of international events on national policy. It also sought to develop research projects that could provide useful analytical tools for decision-makers and other people engaged with international affairs. COMEXI expanded its membership through several participation programs. Its Ordinary Program brought together individuals from different sectors and ideological positions, while the Corporate Program involved leading companies, the Institutional Program connected embassies, international organizations, and academic or research centers, and the Term-Member Program supported the development of emerging leaders. The resulting membership gave the council a broad network spanning private-sector, academic, diplomatic, institutional, and public-affairs communities. The council developed external partnerships with foreign-policy organizations in the United States and Latin America. These relationships included links with the Council on Foreign Relations, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the Council of the Americas, the Pacific Council on International Policy, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. It also established connections with counterpart organizations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Peru, as well as with the Institute Fernando Henrique Cardoso in Brazil and the Indian Council of World Affairs. In 2003, COMEXI and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars established an academic-stay program for researchers studying bilateral relations between Mexico and the United States. The program enabled several specialists each year to conduct research at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., strengthening the council’s role in cross-border policy exchange. Research dissemination became another central part of COMEXI’s work. The council produced original materials, including the biannual “Mexico and the World” opinion survey in cooperation with the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, and published papers on important international issues. Its online information center organized research and articles into regional and thematic sections for people interested in the global agenda. By September 2013, the organization had also become a visible source of expert commentary in Mexican public debate. It had appeared in radio and television analysis, and more than 30 members were identified as contributors to print media. Its open and informal discussions made it a meeting place for people visiting Mexico and for domestic and international specialists. Leadership of the board has included Fernando Solana, Andrés Rozental, Jaime Zabludovsky, and Luis Rubio, with Rubio identified as board president in the available reference material.

1. 2013Public policy and media profile documented

   By September 20, COMEXI is described as participating in radio and television analysis, with more than 30 members contributing to print-media coverage.

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2. 2003Academic-stay program begins

   COMEXI and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars institute a program allowing researchers to undertake policy research on Mexico–United States relations at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.

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3. 2001COMEXI is established

   The Mexican Council on Foreign Relations is established on November 22 as an independent, nonprofit civic association focused on Mexico’s international relations and the impact of global affairs on the national agenda.

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4. Mexico and the World survey is developed

   The council develops a biannual public-opinion survey on Mexico’s international affairs jointly with the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas.

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A plural, multidisciplinary, independent, and non-governmental Mexican forum that connects policymakers, business leaders, academics, diplomats, institutions, and other sectors to examine international affairs and Mexico’s role in the world.

• Mexico and the WorldOpinion survey

  A recurring biannual opinion survey examining Mexican views and attitudes concerning international affairs and Mexico’s position in the world. The survey is produced jointly by COMEXI and the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas and serves as one of the council’s principal original research outputs.

• COMEXI research papersPolicy research publication

  A collection of analytical papers addressing significant international-affairs issues relevant to Mexico. The publications are intended to contribute research and perspectives that can inform decision-makers, specialists, and members of the wider public interested in global affairs.

• Information CenterDigital information resource

  An online resource presenting articles and research related to the global agenda. Its materials are organized into regional and thematic categories, giving visitors a structured way to explore international issues examined by the council and related organizations.

1. Mexican Council on Foreign Relations
2. Mexican Council on Foreign Relations official website