Island of Rights, Sea of Extortion

In this chapter the recent history of the rule of law in Mexico is examined. The legitimation crisis that accompanied the dismantling of the state that had been built on import substitution industrialization (the development of industry inside Mexico) was met with a new project: the introduction of the rule of law. This ideal hitched its fate to the star of the new North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that provided international institutional mechanisms to buttress rule of law. The chapter explores the limitations of this project and the impasse that developed between the politicization of the economy and the protection of rights.