In this week's episode of Soberanía, hosts Kurt Hackbarth and José Luis Granados Ceja dive into the Trump administration’s latest round of extrajudicial military assassinations — this time in the Pacific — and Mexico’s response after rescuing a survivor off the Acapulco coast. With no end to the military buildup in sight, and while attempting to make military action against Venezuela look increasingly inevitable, the US is backing itself into a corner of its own making. Our hosts proceed to break down the new round of North American trade negotiations and what they reveal about how Mexico and Canada are navigating their respective relationships with Washington. Kurt and José Luis also report back from a recent conference on “delinking” — how countries in the Global South can move beyond the historical dominance of the Global North to create genuine sovereignty in the political, economic, and financial realms. And as always, tey wrap up with their Loser and Hater of the week, tied to the last-minute attempt to manufacture consent for U.S. military aggression.
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58:03
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58:03
Mexico's Right-Wing Opposition Rebrands: Just a Flash in the "PAN"
In this episode of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth unpack the supposed relaunch of Mexico's right-wing party, the PAN: can it really reclaim relevance with the same people peddling the same program, simply by means of an updated logo? José Luis and Kurt then shift to the government’s response to recent torrental rains and flooding in five states, assessing preparedness, relief efforts, and attempts by the opposition, as always, to make political hay out of a natural disaster. They then turn to foreign policy, as President Sheinbaum steps up sales of excess diesel to Cuba, despite the anachronistic whining of the same tired voices from the cold-war generation. One of them is then profiled in our regular Losers & Haters segment: a familiar figure to longtime listeners.
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58:11
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58:11
The Nobel 'Peace' Prize Farce ...And What It Could Mean for Mexico
In this week's episode of Soberanía, hosts Kurt Hackbarth and José Luis Granados react to the farcical irony of far-right Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, unpacking her long record of backing coups, sanctions, and foreign intervention, what this award reveals about Western hypocrisy, and what it all could mean for Mexico. They then turn to President Claudia Sheinbaum’s decision to skip the Summit of the Americas, exploring how it builds on López Obrador's refusal to attend the Los Angeles edition in 2022 to promote Latin American regional sovereignty against US exclusionism. The discussion continues with the debate around Mexico's amparo reform bill - in its final stages in Congress - breaking down how it could close off the elites' endless attempts to game the system and the pushback it has thus sparked from Mexico’s conservative establishment. The episode closes with Losers and Haters, revisiting a familiar figure whose newfound power threatens to do real damage from within the newly dubbed "War" Department.
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59:43
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59:43
Onshoring Sadism: The US 'War on Terror' Comes to Latin America
This week on Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth break down Washington’s latest escalation as the US declares itself to be in a "non-international armed conflict" with cartels, exploring how it is set to revive post-9/11 war-on-terror tactics in Latin America. They proceed to discuss the case of the kidnapped Mexicans finally freed after the kidnapping of the Global Sumud Flotilla, what it says about Mexico’s foreign policy, and what a transformational approach to foreign affairs could look like. The conversation turns to US bullying (again), with fresh threats under the USMCA aimed at Mexico’s energy and telecom sectors, among others, before taking a polling deep dive to contrast Claudia Sheinbaum's sky-high numbers with those of MORENA. In Losers & Haters, the hosts take aim at media spin from the LA Times and NY Times, and finally tease an upcoming Tren Maya discussion on their El Taller interview show.
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59:16
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59:16
Constructing the Second Floor: Claudia Sheinbaum's First Year in Power
Join hosts Jose Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth on Soberania as they explore Claudia Sheinbaum's first year in office, highlighting her impressive 79% approval rating and the challenges she's faced with U.S. tariffs. They also debate Mexico's new tariffs on China and what it means for the country's economic future. In a new segment called "Latin America Roundup," they cover the latest developments in Venezuela, Ecuador, Argentina, and Peru offering a comprehensive view of the region's political landscape. Don't miss the "Losers and Haters" segment, where they humorously critique the week's turd sandwich.
Soberanía: The Mexican Politics Podcast brings you news and analysis about Mexico from a grassroots and leftist perspective, helping English-language audiences better understand the country, its politics and players.
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