Mexico was selected by the new occupant of the White House, George W. Bush, for his first foreign visit, made February 16th, at the ranch of Mexican President Vincente Fox, in Guanajunto, where the heads of state talked mainly about business while American and British planes bombed Iraq. All signs seemed to indicate that the coincidence of this new unilateral agression against Bagdad with the visit to Mexico was carefully planned so that on the international scene the new head of state would make clear from the outset that it is now he who leads the world and that his country will use military force when convienient for its interests, over and above any international law. With the choice of Mexico for this first foreign visit, the American President underscored the changes he wants to make in U.S. relations with Latin America and the Caribbean. The 21st centry will be the "Century of the Americas," Bush indicated the day before the visit, explaining: "We must work with our neighbors" to construct a Western hemisphere of liberty and prosperity, linked by shared ideas and free trade from the Arctic to Cape Horn. For this reorientation of U.S. diplomacy, Mexico appears to be a key lever to drive and accelerate the time-frame for signing the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA), as well as to make possible its implementation in the entire region (creation of infrastructure, deactivation of social resistances, etc.), which as the moment has the "Plan Puebla-Panamá" as its first component. The Mexican government, for its part, appears to be entirely disposed to play in this alliance, as demonstrated by the tone of the communiqué emitted by the Foreign Ministry about the bombing of Iraq, which shows a tacit backing of military action, although it has traditionally proposed a peaceful end to conflict. Between managers The purpose of the meeting, explained President Fox at its conclusion, was neither to come to agreements nor to make decisions but rather to allow the leaders to come to conclusions and outline strategies on the most sensitive issues of the bilateral relation. He commented that the "very manegerial style" that predominated would allow their conversations to translate into concrete actions. For Mexico the priority in the bilateral relations came back to the topic of migration, while for the United States the focus was on access to its neighbor's petroleum and other sources of energy. As for the first issue, the leaders agreed to work together on a "comprehensive migration policy," whose first step will be the creation of a high-level negotiating committee that will elaborate a long-term program. Bush promised to nominate a special official to guarantee respect for human rights on the border and to curb the action of traffickers in undocumented workers. The U.S. President highlighted the need for a common energy policy of the three countries that comprise NAFTA, including Canada, anticipating that "a permanent dialogue" will be maintained on this issue. Furthering this goal, a consultation with the Canadian government will be made to revise NAFTA, in hopes of promoting the economic development of the region. Another topic of the conversations was drug trafficking. The leaders proposed reducing the demand for drugs and eliminating criminal organizations. In this respect, President Bush recognized that the main reason that drugs are sent through Mexico to the United States is that U.S. citizens use drugs, andhe stated that "our country must do a beeter job educating our citizens" about drugs. In summary, as noted by the newspapaer La Jornada on February 17th, the meeting of President Fox and his collegue, was not a dialouge between equals to discuss common strategies, for above the supposedly informal, operational reunion hung the dark, formal threat of military powers ready to be used against the most faithful of allies and servants (such as Saddam Hussein) if they no longer serve or do what is asked of them.