One of the best papers in the world is La Jornada. Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks acknowledged this in choosing it as the only Latin American paper to receive material from his organization. Whatever you think of Assange, he has been very astute in the news outlets he has chosen to provide information to including The New York Times, Le Monde, El Pais, Der Spiegel and The Guardian. He has not only provided them with documents, but consulted with them on how to go about distributing more.
La Jornada has devoted a special section to Wikileaks, and if you read Spanish it is definitely worth looking at. The documents released to La Jornada by Assange's organization Sunshine Press Productions include three thousand dispatches written by US diplomatic personnel and treat political, economic and security issues relating to Mexico. Selected examples are presented in English. I think that La Jornada intends to publish them all over time.
The cables between the US Embassy in Mexico and the US Administration are printed in English in La Jornada so you can find them all in English. I am going to post selected documents from time to time to give you some idea of what various people in the American government thinks about Mexico, how it interprets what it sees and hears, and what its goals regarding Mexico are. Some is better than you might think: unlike the presentation of Mexico in the US, diplomats and administration types take a cooler look. However, as will become clearer as I post more cables, I think the US is again sinking itself in the mire of yet another long-term military engagement. I will be very interested in any comments you have.
The first cable I am copying below written in December 2009 is from Hillary Clinton to Embassy staff asking their impressions of President Felipe Cálderon. I'm printing it in its entirety.
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1. (C/NF) WASHINGTON
ANALYSTS HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLy INTERESTED IN MEXICO'S LEADERSHIP
DYNAMICS, AND WE HAVE APPRECIATED POST'S COVERAGE
OF THIS TOPIC, REFS A-E HAVE SPECIFICALLY BEEN USEFUL TO
GAUGE INSIGHT INTO THESE DYNAMICS. WE ARE INTERESTED
IN REVISITING OUR ASSESSMENT OF MEXICAN PRESIDENT CALDERON TO
BETTER INFORM US POLICYMAKERS ON HIS LEADERSHIP STYLE. REFS
F-H HAVE INDICATED THAT CALDERON AND HIS ADMINISTRATION
ARE CURRENTLY UNDER GREAT STRESS FROM THE DRUG WAR, ECONOMIC
COLLAPSE, AND HIS PARTY'S MIDTERM ELECTION LOSSES. DESPITE
RECENT REPORTING WE ARE STILL INTERESTED IN HOW THESE
CURRENT STRESSES ARE AFFECTING HIS PERSONALITY AND MANAGEMENT
STYLE AND HOW THAT STYLE IS AFFECTING THE RUNNING OF THE
GOVERNMENT ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF RECENT CABINET CHANGES. IN
THE COURSE OF POST'S REGULAR MEETINGS, WE WOULD WELCOME ANY
INSIGHT POST CAN PROVIDE ON THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
A. (U) PRESIDENT
CALDERON
1) (C/NF) HOW DOES
PRESIDENT CALDERON REACT TO VIEWPOINTS
THAT ARE DIFFERENT FROM HIS
OWN? (DOES HE LIKE TO GET INTO
DEBATES WITH PEOPLE WHO DISAGREE
WITH HIM? DOES HE PREFER TO
LISTEN TO THEIR VIEWPOINT, THINK
ON IT FOR A WHILE, AND COME
BACK WITH A RESPONSE?)
DOES HE SURROUND HIMSELF WITH PEOPLE
WHO HAVE A VARIETY OF VIEWPOINTS,
OR DOES HE PREFER "YES MEN"?
2) (C/NF) HOW WOULD
YOU DESCRIBE CALDERON'S MANAGEMENT
STYLE (MORE OF AN "IDEA
MAN" OR MORE OF A "MICROMANAGER")?
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF HIS
MANAGEMENT STYLE ON THOSE WHO
WORK FOR HIM?
3) (C/NF) HOW WOULD
YOU DESCRIBE CALDERON'S PERSONALITY?
WHAT VALUES/BELIEFS/BEHAVIORS
DOES CALDERON HOLD MOST DEARLY,
AND RESPECT MOST IN OTHERS (TRUTHFULNESS,
LOYALTY, RESPECT,
ETC)?
4) (C/NF) WHAT ARE
CALDERON'S PLANS' FOR THE REMAINDER OF
HIS TERM? (SECURITY, ECONOMY,
PAN PARTY, DEALING WITH THE
PRI)?
B. (U) CABINET
1) (C/NF) WHAT ARE
THE GOALS FOR PRESIDENT CALDERON'S
SECURITY AND ECONOMIC SECTIONS
OF HIS CABINET DURING THEIR
REMAINING TIME IN OFFICE? HOW
DO THEY PLAN ON ACHIEVING THOSE
GOALS?
2) (C/NF) HOW DO
THEY INDIVIDUALLY VIEW THE UNITED STATES,
AND HOW STRONG IS THEIR WORKING
RELATIONSHIP WITH US
OFFICIALS?
3) (C/NF) WHAT IS
THE CURRENT RELATIONSHIP STATUS OF
PRESIDENT CALDERON'S CABINET?
DO ALL MEMBERS GET ALONG? HAVE
RIVALRIES, FRIENDSHIPS BEEN
FORMED? HAVE THESE RELATIONSHIPS
TRICKLED DOWN TO THE WORKING
LEVEL STAFFS OF EACH CABINET
MEMBER,S OFFICE?
4) (C/NF) HAS JOB
STRESS AFFECTED ANY OF THE SECURITY AND
ECONOMIC SECTIONS OF HIS CABINET
MEMBERS, HEALTH? IF SO,
HOW? WHAT ARE SOME WAYS
THESE MEMBERS ARE ADDRESSING THIS
STRESS?
2. (U) PLEASE CITE
C-AL9-02352 IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF
REPORTING IN RESPONSE TO THE
ABOVE QUESTIONS.
CLINTON