Reform from a Mexican perspective --- I'd like to share my personal perspective on this as I'm Mexican and I was starting my professional career as this reform happened (I worked with some advocates of this reform). Growing up, it was really unthinkable to imagine that there would ever be a gas company in Mexico other than Pemex: there's a lot of nationalism tied to the company as something to be proud of since its foundation in 1940 as one of the biggest victories in the post-revolution era, closely tied to the party (PRI) that ruled the country from the end of the revolution war (1920) to the democratic transition in 2000. It was seen as a victory against foreign powers, mostly USA companies. For decades it was a very competitive company internationally, but that changed in the last couple of decades. Ironically, it was PRI who managed to accomplish the reform that opened the energy market in 2013 when they won the presidential elections the year before. Skillfully and not without controversy, PRI built a center/right coalition that got this reform approved. I still marvel when I visit and I see the Exxon, BP, etc signs around. Interestingly, that PRI government had an energy attache at their Embassy in the US; I think that office has now been closed. The current governing party did not support the energy reform and has brought back a lot of the nationalist pride on Pemex.

Source author: Brenda Estefania Ortiz Calva eortizcalva@aaas.org