United States promotion of GM foods: the use of public diplomacy strategies and instruments to target government agencies in Mexico

Abstract

Mexico is considered a center of origin and biodiversity for corn and this crop is relevant in the country to the extent that GM maize commercialization is not allowed because corn is part of the national identity. Despite this designation of origin and biodiversity, Mexico imports 10 million tons of GM corn each year in accordance with the NAFTA commitments. It is my hypothesis that not only the Mexican government agencies have done research and decided by themselves about biosecurity regulations, but also there are international actors and forces, such as the US Department of State and the US Department of Agriculture, that have influenced the changes in the GMOs regulation. Therefore, this paper will identify the public diplomacy strategies and instruments that the United States is implementing to promote GM foods among the Mexican agencies in order to adopt a flexible regulation respect to GM maize. How the American agencies have interacted with Mexican officials and have influenced the change of GM food policy in Mexico is the subject of this paper.