AMLO's options

Check out Bloggings by Boz for a good analysis about how AMLO can accomplish some of the goals of his movement while abandoning his current strategies. I agree that his most difficult and most immediate task is to end the street protests—he’s painted himself into a corner with all his talk of a parallel government, and so he has to figure out how to convince his followers that this is not simply a concession to the powers that he has labeled as irredeemably corrupt.

At this point, I might feel more sympathy for AMLO if not for the fact that in recent years Mexico has been undergoing a process of real democratization. The PRI’s grip on power was pried loose, elections (though obviously still imperfect) have been the cleanest in history, the military remains out of politics, and Congress is no longer a rubber stamp. The country does face daunting problems, but democratization has been taking place. Creating a parallel government in the streets—and this will inevitably lead to conflict--will be a step backward. As I’ve written, AMLO has been getting blasted in the U.S. press, and I hope he is able to prove it all wrong.