 Okay folks, here we go. Sorry for the delay. Welcome to what the F is going on in Latin America and the Caribbean code pinks weekly YouTube program of hot news out of the region. In partnership with common frontiers, Council on hemispheric affairs. Friends of Latin America, Massachusetts peace action and task force on the Americas, we broadcast weekly. You can also find us on Apple podcast Spotify telegram and now at radindymedia.com. Our guest today is Marco Castillo he's the executive director of global exchange and he also coordinates New West for red which we can talk about briefly to Marco, but we're going to talk to you this evening everyone. Our episode is about omelow visiting Washington last week and the title of tonight's episode on what goes to Washington, the Mexico US bilateral meeting in review. And this will kind of serve as a follow up to a conversation that some of you may remember we had with Marco last year when Kamala Harris was visiting Central America in which she said to bottom all ends do not come. So this is a bit of a follow up to that and we're really fortunate to have Marco with us this evening. Before we start our conversation. I want to share with all of you just a few antidotes highlights from last week's visit to Washington and I'll start with a quote because I want you all to read this great article that my co worker and code pink co founder Maria Benjamin wrote and had published in jacket in today. And this is a, I think, for a lot of us, particularly those of us outside of Mexico this was a really, a really profound image that we saw on social media last week so let me share this with you. In 2012 when Mexico president Lopez overdure traveled to Washington DC, his most exciting encounter for Mexicans both in the US and in Mexico was not his meeting with President Biden, but his impromptu encounter with well wishers outside of his hotel room at the Lombardi. And then on social media of the encounter went viral. It showed the president known by his initials for all of you am lo sticking his head out the window, blowing kisses catching a bouquet of flowers thrown to him, and being serenaded by mariachi singing. Amigo, and the lyrics roughly translated from Spanish into English, you are my soul brother, a friend that in every way and day is always with me. And that's from Medea's article. I encourage you all to read it it's a wonderful informative and, and, and passionate expression of his of the president's visit to Washington last last week. Also last week the meeting with Biden included agenda items such as prioritizing Mexico sovereignty sovereignty being a major theme that we've been talking about in many episodes this past year. curbing migration by offering more visa options and of course inflation. And this past Monday, President overdure revealed that that during his DC visit. He gave a letter to President Biden in which he defended Julian Massange's innocence and renewed previous offer to grant him asylum here in Mexico so a lot to talk about in this episode Marco and I'm so happy you had time to join us. It's always a pleasure to have you in conversation and I think it's really important that our audience and I think most of the people viewing and listening probably know but let's remind them that that you are Mexican. And so that's why it's because when you live in New York City so you know, but it's so important and I'm sitting here in Mexico City and Marco was actually from Mexico City so. It's really wonderful that you have time to share with us your insights about the meeting last week and I think one of the things to me that made it so important was and perhaps this was all diplomatically planned before the summit of the Congress in LA of June, in which President overdure did not not attend he did send the foreign minister abroad that he himself did not go representing the presidential level of diplomacy for Mexico. So let's talk about the importance of last week's meeting and what you think were some of the highlights and some of the most important things that we as a US audience should be focused on, and perhaps what sort of political activity we can formulate around it. You're already working on a number of great projects. Thank you, Terry. It's always a pleasure to be here with you and and and always talking to anyone from both pink great leaders, great fighters, we are in the same struggle and and thank you for letting me be with your audience. So yes, I am Mexican, born and bred in Mexico in the state of Huebla and and then Mexico City, and I've been in the US for over almost two decades, having the privilege of being in this country. In both an organizing activist and an advocacy for for Latin Americans in the US and abroad. But yeah, Mexico, obviously, it's in my heart and what's happening with Mexico right now it's fascinating for so many reasons that you have already explored like explained it's the the charisma that that I'm low brings to the, to the country to the region the leadership and and and and also, you know, the challenges that he is facing and and and the and the trouble, the huge crisis that the region is is facing in this moment right now as a result of COVID-19 neoliberalism war and so many other so many other things but to go to your point. For so many years, for so many decades, Mexico decided to end its tradition of standing in solidarity and support with with our brothers and sisters from Central and South America. Mexico said no to the war during World War Two. Mexico has always stand in solidarity with Cuba, student solidarity with with Nicaragua and Salvador with the people of El Salvador and Nicaragua during those difficult times. Mexico was a shelter for Chileans and Argentina's in the dictatorship. But sadly, after the 80s when neoliberalism hit the country, our presidents and Mexican governments just sided with neoliberals in the US sided with the with the most conservative parts of US politics. And so, for this past, you know, since the 80s, Mexican presidents have kept silence in a lot of moments in what's happening in Latin America, and have silently accepted and bow to the presidents of the United States and the power of the US. Mexico lost a lot of its leaders. And now we have a president that took office in 2018 that ran his candidacy under a progressive platform, who had already tried competing in the previous, you know, elections and and he was the president of fraud, we have to say this, he was a winning candidate since 2006. And so, the country had very deep institutional and electoral crisis. And that moment on to 2018, when finally, finally, the powers that were, you know, the one percent that was holding power, you know, surrender and lost the battle and had to accept the undoubtable winning of Pablo. And now we have a president that is trying to go back to this tradition. And now he's been, you know, successfully establishing relationships across the continent. And but not only that, he's been a leading voice in what's been happening in the recent history. You, your audience should be familiar with what happened in Bolivia with Evo Morales, when he was a victim of a coup d'etat, that it was, you know, kicked in and out of office to impose fraudulent individual that then trying to, well, they didn't try, they actually prosecuted and criminalized many of the members of the cabinet. Well, I'm going to play a very critical role in putting Evo Morales in a plane and keeping him safe from what was a clear intention to hurt him, not only to imprison him. Some voices were saying that basically the dictators that took power were trying to assassinate him. And the same that happened with Cuba. Amno has been a strong voice against the blockade. He's been speaking in favor of a new relationship with the US. And in Mexico, by being such an economic strategic ally to the US, he basically brings hope and it's like fresh water to a region that felt that they were losing the battle. And now we're seeing a new momentum and the continent led by someone like Amno, I mean, not led, but where Amno is playing a leading role, that's for sure. And so it's really interesting Terry, because when he started with initially took office, he said that he was against foreign relationships. He always used to say that the best foreign policy is domestic policy, and he was going to be dedicating himself and basically dedicating the country. He said that he would most probably wouldn't ever travel outside of the country. That was his initial idea. But then he saw the presidential plane, didn't he? Exactly. One of his first actions were to sell the presidential plane. But the truth is that everything is so interconnected and his leadership immediately was seen as a great opportunity for so many countries across the region. And so, I don't know, voluntarily or maybe involuntarily, he started to play a more important role in the region and now we are where we are. And so yeah. I think it's fascinating that, well, too, well, I said a series of things that I saw being here in Mexico City last year, especially well in and out of Mexico City. July 24 of last summer was the 238th anniversary of Simón Bolivar's birth, and the president gave a extraordinary speech at Castillo Chapultepec in front of many foreign ministers and other notable foreign dignitaries, really laid out the vision and the history of Simón Bolivar, which we don't learn about in North America. We do not learn about Simón Bolivar in North America, and there's reasons for that. But he laid out this, the history and the vision of Simón Bolivar and then, and part of that vision was to push back from the westward expansion of the United States. And, and then he beautifully segued into how the OAS as a regional institution has really digressed from any sort of national regional unity and that it's, you know, dominated by U.S. foreign policy. It was a, it was a brilliant speech, I thought. And then after that, we, you know, a lot of us sitting here in Mexico listening to it, and you would know this as well people were pretty excited about that. I, I know many of the people I was with, we thought, well, this is a fabulous vision. But then the following month, Mexico City's hosting the Venezuela dialogue, what we hope would turn into, you know, several multiple conversations and that stopped with the kidnapping of Alex Saab. But we saw the Venezuelan dialogues start here in Mexico. And then in September, Amla reconvened Salah after a four year pause. And it just seems like, since last summer, there's just been this real evolution of or vision and inter I mean, he really injecting himself into building a vision for the hemisphere of the Americas, Latin America and the Caribbean specifically, but, but not absent of the U.S. which I think is part of what his meeting last week was about, in my, my opinion, but I'll ask you to comment on that. And really, really leading this attempt to visualize and vocalize a vision for an integrated America. Yeah. And it's, it's, it's really profound, I think, and he has he, I believe, has a really large, at least out, you know, maybe not so much in Mexico and we should probably talk about that too. But certainly, outside the country, he has a very large audience and I believe that's because he does not. I mean a lot of his ideas are fairly progressive and even some are fairly radical. But his demeanor and his tone of voice is not that. And people, people listen to him. People listen to him. It is really a wonderful thing. Right. Well, the U.S., the U.S. needs to look closer at what's happening in Mexico, because, you know, it's, it's, it's important to understand that nothing, nothing, it's going to happen. And when you let a country in Latin America to have free elections, when you, when, when you let, you know, countries exercise their democracy and the U.S. has always been very fearful of what's of what of political leaders in the south, political leaders out of the border. And, and it's important that we look closer to what's happening in Mexico because, because no, nothing has happened. He's been able to be critical of the history of, of, of, you know, inequality, the relationship of the U.S. with other, with other countries, but yet at the same time he has been capable of maintaining a functional and a prosperous relationship between the U.S. and Mexico. One of the things that Amlu has said that it's also, also for me important to say is that instead of looking against the U.S., you know, like trying to create cohesion and, and, and a stand against the U.S. He's always said, we need to come together to support the U.S. because we need a stronger U.S. because if, if the U.S. collapses, then we will all collapse. So we need a strong, you know, U.S. But we need the U.S. to be an equal partner with us. So he's always speaking about a, you know, a reciprocity between both, he's talking about equality. So this means that this should not be a threat to U.S. at all in any ways in the press in the U.S. We're seeing every day more and more, you know, this narrative of being a semi-dictator, like an author, like in the mainstream media trying to portray them as, as, as an authoritarian. And we know how that goes and what that works. But we need to understand that this is an opportunity to shift, to change, to better the relationships from the U.S. with other countries, not only with Mexico, with the rest of the region. We saw that nothing happened in Mexico. Nothing has happened in Honduras. And by respecting elections, free elections, democratic processes in the region, not intervening, letting the people speak, only good things can come. And certainly Mexico has important challenges and AMRA is no hero for so many, many, many people in Mexico are still waiting for justice, political prisoners, and domestic prisons. Indigenous communities who's been fighting for autonomy and resisting mining projects and hydroelectrical projects who've seen no justice from, from the AMRA administration. And obviously, many human rights advocates and organizations that seen the failure of immigration policy, which is a consequence of the United States. But the truth is that at the regional level, the AMRA administration has been a challenge, an opportunity for change that we haven't seen in decades. Strong allies, like I'm like Mexico, Argentina, Central America coming together to denounce the way that the U.S. organized the summit of the Americas. That's history of the making. You know, Latin American countries calling together the U.S. for an end of the OAS three, four years ago, that would have been impossible to hear. So it is important to recognize what is happening right now geopolitically, what's happening in the Latin American continent, and find ways in the U.S. to support and help this administration. Because it's not easy. They're facing many challenges, also many pressures from the right and from the 1% that is trying to diminish his accomplishments and bring him down. But there's so gosh. Okay, I have tons of notes here. No, this is wonderful. And I think. So let's just, what you said about, you know, working with the United States and some, you know, some people would say well, you know, why. And we know the history of U.S. interventionism throughout Latin America and the Caribbean and it's quite heinous. And, and it's, and it's been quite frequent, especially since the end of World War two. And this is one of the things that I find really admirable, actually, and hopeful is that when you mentioned that full regional integration, including the United States, but I, my sense is integration with the United States as equals, would mean the United States going to be required to recognize each country's sovereignty individual national sovereignty, which also can be extrapolated to mean natural resource sovereignty as well which we can come back to the lithium. And what's happening here in Mexico and the lithium triangle in the southern cone and the southern commands comments yesterday I think about natural resources. This is going to require this integration of a region as equals, which has something that's been needed I would argue for 500 years. This is going to mean an evolution is going to have to happen in the United States. You know, that's where my work and my co workers and friends, that's where our work is going to be so important, because it's not going to be easy to change this paradigm of the United States, and, and still people refer to Latin American the Caribbean as well as the backyard now is the front yard and I mean, you know, our yard, but it's going to mean an evolution. Right. It's, it's going to need, it's going to need Terry, and thank you for your question or your comment. It's going to need a lot of doing, but also a lot of undoing. Yes, there are a lot of things that the US needs to stop doing, stop securing, stop assuming and start believing. So, so the US foreign policy towards Latin America and towards most of the world. It's based in fear, fear and based in fear event and constant feeling threatened by others, and by new energies, new movements, new leaders, always being afraid of, and, and it was very reactionary. Any government pretty much that has tried to be revolutionary, progressive, it gets toggled in one form or another by the United States. Since 1945. Yes, that is correct. In fact, so with the ambivalent administration, we gotta, we gotta understand that, that, you know, after, after Canada, after Europe, Mexico would be one of the most important relationships that US has because we shared a border, a long border. It's, it's, you know, we, we, we have some of the most economic dynamic borders and the globe, if not the most. So it is crucial for the US. And, and so, I mean, seeing this happening and seeing someone like I'm low and in the presidency. It's a clear proof that nothing happens if the US stops. Trying to intervene elections because of fear and let the people speak things will be better for everyone. So we will take a lot of trust. It will take a lot of taking the foot away from the region back and changing the investment that they're putting in military intervention and intelligence and start putting that money in changing the economic formula that has created all this poverty that has put us in this situation. Let's talk a little bit about the US military and, and the related poverty because the poverty is not just within the United States. It's created poverty in many places around the world but this is one of the things that is immigration, the militarization of the US Mexico border and militarization of the Mexico bottom all aboard. Yeah, and, and, and this is done. And maybe this is not maybe this word is too strong but you know it's complicit between Mexico and the United States there's that understanding and and financing of it and that's that's tough, that's tough on people here in Mexico. And I don't think enough people in the United States really understand. And of course we would have to do an entire episode on root causes of migration which we touched on last year. There's, I mean that's a whole nother thing that you'll have to come back and unpack without. And then we can promote some of the work that you're working on to the peace summit for next summer and all of these great projects. And this militarization, and really, and this export take exporting of militarization by the United States to control the movement of people is really. And unfortunately, that's the Mexican government has been complicit in that and what do you see that I'm low government wanting to undo that or attempting to what what do you what's the vision there. And is that part of what the conversation in DC was about last week. Right, right, right. Well thank you for that question. Terry, I didn't word it so well I apologize. It's great. So, um, let's see. We, we saw the huge mistake that the so called war on drugs had the terrible consequences that it had in the US and in the region in the sixties, all the way until 2012 when the war on drugs was declared also in Mexico. We saw millions of lives lost. And not only that but with time we learned that there was no such war against drugs. It was a war against people it was a war against free societies free and independent societies. Unfortunately, the next step of that war has been the war on immigration, the war on immigrants. It's a, it's a new politic geopolitical strategy that has the intention of counter fighting the, the consequences of the poverty that the US and neoliberalism cost in our countries. After years of mining, over exploding people suck in resources from the region. Now, now they are, they are fighting so that those who are fleeing those conditions do not make it to the US, but also they're doing it because it allows the US and other countries to expand militarily wise and also allows the US to have personnel and have a foot in the US. And also, it's an it's, it's, unfortunately, it's a huge, it's a huge business migration. It's a huge legal and illegal business. There's a lot of going on behind bars. It's more profitable these days to smuggle a person than drugs. In 2022, the business of business for criminal organizations is smuggling people. It's better business than drugs right now. So, unfortunately, I'm going to take office right in the middle of this, of this regional policy from the US, and he gets caught under the fire of Trump with with with former president, Peña Nieto and in order for him, you know, to be able to start his administration, he had he negotiated certain terms. He thought that he could sacrifice migrants at the expense of, you know, creating minimum stability for him to take office in Mexico. He was successful in in calming the tension that the Mexico had with the US in the moment in 2018 when he took office, but, but sacrificing immigrants was a big mistake that has forced his administration to continue being being the guardian of the US border and a bad guardian guardian that it's been playing the role of police and putting military out in the streets and border points. And it's been at this grace it's been hundreds of lives lost in this past years, thousands of people who've been victim of all kinds of crimes along the border. It's a tragedy of tragedy. We've never seen this situation in decades. So yes, what we're seeing right now, it's a trap that I'm low it's very difficult to understand how he can possibly get out of. I know that he accepted when he took office and and it's it has a huge, huge cost. But the problem is the problem is Terry, as we've said before, is if we don't change the thinking in the White House in Washington. Other situations are going to continue happening because the US has the political and economic power to force Latin American countries to accept this policies, we been forced Mexico is depending on many, many things from the US. So, we need to change this in the United States, we cannot be applauding this policies, just because they are safe for our country, save our print print our borders, you know, in a safer situation that's that's BS that is not true factually, every all numbers have shown that the situation at the border it's more dangerous for everyone, border residents, immigrants and all communities ecological devastation is happening and we've with come closer than ever to to the highest numbers of human rights violations that we've seen in Mexico US history, since the worst moments of our relationship. So it's a bittersweet moment. I'm not sure trust, and, you know, migrant communities in the US, and, and, and their allies, progressive allies across the US be more bold, stop doing the dirty work for the US, and, and take a next step. And we as a US society should be ready to support, you know, the administration and fighting back and saying no more, I'm not should be saying no more, no more of playing the role of, of, of the, of the anti immigrant police officer that the US wants. Mexico life. Would you. Well, I guess let me, how should I say this, as there's a number of things I've seen here, political activity here, specifically in Mexico City. And with organizing. Mexicans in the exterior, particularly through the party money in a party organizing and in the in the US exterior specifically because it is such a large population is that I mean is the support there I mean you you just said, we need to support the president. President. Is that, you know, it seems to me it's a real possibility to educate organize and push from the inside and from the outside. And the president needs that support I mean he kind of, that's how movements and parties work right that that that wind beneath the. Yeah. No, I mean, that's why I insist the US needs to look closer at what that what's happening in Mexico. We need to make a change in the US, but for our own sake, for our own benefit, not only to help Mexico, we need to do it for ourselves. The truth is that a great majority in the United States of America are sensitive to the issues that the region is it's going through right now. And, and, and, you know, I'm sure that we're ready for a change also in the US, and we need to learn from from Mexicans we need to learn that, you know, we can have a progressive president and nothing happens the economy didn't collapse. So many good things happen, we, it is possible to have governments in the United States in Europe and all across the world that say no more to intervention, yes to autonomy, yes to radical democracy. So we need to listen more. And number two, we need to be in support of Mexico, because if Mexico does well, the US it's going to do even better. So we need to support the US, we need to promote that regional way that it's already happening in Latin America to arrive to the US. We need more leaders in the movement to be, you know, understanding of what's happening in Mexico and be active in the US, not only immigrant communities. This is something that's not only, you know, something that Mexicans abroad should be doing all immigrant communities should be doing and everyone in the US should be in support, because the way that it's coming from the south. It's a wave of better change. It's what the people, not umbrella, what the people that are voting for this president are demanding are, you know, radical Democrats who are not afraid of the 1%, not afraid of putting an end to, you know, capitalism or savage capitalism to breathe and pollution and all of those things that have heard our lives in our region, not only Latin America is hurting because of it, the US is hurting right now. You know, I was just learning how much the panic Pentagon's budget had increased during the pandemic, and he has no comparison with what the people received and all the benefits that people received in the US. It's like the stimulus checks and all of those programs are nothing compared to how much the Pentagon. So that's something that cannot continue. You know, you know, I think, I think that may actually make more and more people in the States, the awareness every day that there's more and more money for the military and no access to public education, no health care, no, no decent public infrastructure. People are starting to connect the dots. And one of the things that you just mentioned about radical democracy throughout the hemisphere, you and I served as election observers and Honduras and other countries throughout there was a whole series of elections beginning in Bolivia in October of 2020 and right on through throughout the hemisphere right on through December of 2021. And to me, being in a number of those countries and watching the results we saw with the exception I would say of the national or the legislative elections in Argentina, although with them assuming the presidency of the select maybe we're going to see it in a slightly different evolution now out of Argentina. But I agree with you that the radical democracy that the election results, which people participated and voted for preservation of or recapturing or preserving national sovereignty, natural resource sovereignty, and people throughout the hemisphere voted for governments who were proposing an economy beneficial to the majority of citizens. And some of those economic plans were maybe one step to the left of center to revolutionary leftist economies but there's so there's a whole spectrum that emerged in the Americas. But it really was really, really clear, don't you think I mean it was really obvious what people voted for. In general, in Latin America, since the imposition of neoliberalism by the hand of, you know, corruption and electoral fraud, the continent and the United States, the Department of The United States knows this that continent has been in constant conflict. Latin America has always said no to the neoliberalism, not to us intervention. So this is a long fight that it took decades for for the 1% to, you know, accept that there was no they tried with electoral fraud, they be trying with with interventions, as they did in Honduras, and still the resilience of people in Latin America said, No, we're going to continue fighting and make our voice heard. And there you have it, both in Mexico and Honduras, you have such an overwhelming, you know, number of voters supporting these candidates. That Amlu is one of the, you know, most voted and better position presidents and the globe, you know, and so, again, US Democratic Party needs to listen to what a majority saying in the US, and we as a majority in the US need to get our act together and recognize that our voice can be heard and we can achieve things. We need to learn from the south. Yes, definitely. Definitely. And, and this and the south is learning is really good in this particular moment learning from each other to I would add it's a unity that and I think this, it's a unity that's really very clear among nations that I think that was very evident in the select summit here in Mexico City in September there was a lot of conversation. And people, the differences among how the, how domestic policy is handled and yet saying we need to rise above that respect the sovereignty of the individual nations and find the common, you know, those things that unify all of us, particularly economics, and all of us together as a, as a block of nations and there just seems to be such a very special moment right now in Latin America in the Caribbean, from which and I fully agree with you from which the United States that should be learning and that's going to mean people like you and me and all our friends and family that, you know, we've got to spread that this change that's coming because it is a change that would be beneficial for all of us Americans north central and south Americans, all of them. Sure. I mean, and I don't mean, and I really don't want to project the idea that things are great in Mexico and Latin America, that when we talk about this wave means that we have answers to all the problems, absolutely not. It's a consciousness. It's a political. We're facing huge challenges in the region. And if, if, if anything, the administration will be able to accomplish just the basic structure of what real change looks like he is, you know, coming into power after seven decades at least in the case of corruption and bad government so it's going to take a while to get where we, you know, to to to rest to a point to get to a point where we can really rest and enjoy the fruits of our labor right now. You know, the country, the reason why people like I'm low or she might have cast her empire right now is because the people are mad are frustrated are suffering are are in, you know, in a very, very bad moment. And so it takes a lot of work. It will continue to take a lot of work. But one thing is for sure, the people have all the clarity that betting on bankers, we're not going to get any benefit that us needs to stop believing in traditional politicians in bankers and corporations as a way to solve the problems for the people. So, you know, that's something that that that people across America have very clear, you know, it's like we don't think I'm just perfect. There's a huge culture of corruption and impunity in the country. We have problematic military authorities. All of that. We have ecological devastation we're facing all kinds of economic crisis on top of crisis every day. But one thing is clear, we would we would be worse if we continue putting our destinies in the hands of neoliberals who have nothing for just distracted resources over exploited and hurt the people of Lebanon. Beautiful. I just, I just, I love your state your your vision and your experience and you're so good at at explaining all of this to to our audience it's really, but it is really does come down to the banking doesn't it. I mean, it really does come down to that whole financial sector and and that sector, I mean, I would argue it's, it's not, it's neoliberalism is a modern form of it, but we've seen that in the hemisphere for 500 years that control of banks and the control of, you know, monarchies in some cases autocratic I mean it's been very, it's in many ways it's still that same was that imperialist structure for Spain and the United States, and it really is. It really is a profound statement of the people that governments are being voted democratically voted into power to push back, and I fully agree with you with Mexico with with Honduras and now with I think we could throw Columbia in the mix to now with with Petro and Francia being inaugurated August 7 that this is the first step. And you mentioned earlier that things have to be taken apart there has to be a deconstruction first right here in Mexico 70 years. So it's a, these first governments and I think those of us, particularly in the global north, that believe we are revolutionary and leftist we are yet to have a revolution in in our own countries. So we have to be careful how we, how we comment on countries such as Mexico Honduras and Columbia, that it is going to take a deconstruction first a dismantling first before moving forward. And that may take that's definitely going to take at least one administration, and probably more than that before, you know, that there's an end product that is the vision and the dream with the first election. Yeah, it's not going to happen overnight and you know there's a, there is there's a lot of, there is a lot of criticism of Omlo as you have, have shared and via, you know viable critique of what's happening. What's not happening. She am our castles going through the same. My gosh, Gustavo Petros already is been harshly criticized by the left outside of Columbia for not being leftist enough. What does I mean, you know, these, these newly elected governments have so much to undo first. And I think I don't think that can be emphasized enough and that is what is going to take in the United States to, there's going to have to be a disk and undoing of our previous way of thinking of acting of the systems are in place and how they work. That has to all be dismantled before you can even start moving forward. Yeah, it's a, it's a huge, it's a huge, huge, huge challenge, because in many cases and I'm sure that it will be also the case of the US. When we see change coming, you know, really corporations and trans nationals have a, you know, accumulated so much power that even if you take, if you win the presidency of a country like Mexico, or the US, you wouldn't hold power. You win, you win, you win, you know, the government but you don't win. You win the office. Because many of this, you know, members of the 1% Club own, you know, have the power because they own governments, they own the depth of many poor countries, and they own the arms, the guns, the, the, so so many, yes, yes, it takes, it's going to take, it's going to take a huge battle and Amlo has had to confront many of that. Amlo has been subject of, you know, violent criticism, not only from the Mexican right, I mean, Marco Rubio is on his back and accusing him of so many nonsense and the same with the Cruz and all of the, you know, the US right, which means that the corporations are trying to, you know, bring Amlo down. So yes, it is complicated. It's not easy. But let me say, Terry, before we run out of time, I think that are concrete steps and things that the US can do and Latin America should be putting in place with the support of the US. And that is, we need to build a new multilateral institution that is respectful of every country's participation, that it takes each country as a vote, as a vote of dignity that that has the same value as any other. We need to dismantle the OAS and we need a new alternative and the US can support that right now. And again, let me, I cannot stress this enough, it would be beneficial, not a threat to the US, creating, recreating multilateralism in the region. It's one of the best things that Amlo can accomplish and that Biden should be supporting right now, you know, leaving a stronger, more democratic multilateral organism or mechanism that allows the region to have permanent democratic dialogue. And we can, and we must accomplish that. And that's why we are calling all sectors of US and Mexican society Terry to, you know, start this discussion in all corners of the US and Mexico and then gather in February 27 next year 2023 in Mexico City to have a conference for peace to build a binational agenda that will take both of our countries to the next, to the next victory, to the next victory, which is a binational agenda that represents the wheel of a great majority. The US and Mexico have been brothers and sisters for decades. We are more than neighbors. We are family. Over 30 million Mexicans are living in the US. We have millions of US folks living in Mexico. We are family. We literally have our children on the other side of the border, both, and in the US, we literally have a lot of our parents in Mexico, living in Puerto Vallarta in Oaxaca, happily retired. We need to see ourselves as one region. We cannot continue with this border perspective on things that that is, that is, that is all that is archaic that it's that doesn't solve anything. Wow. This is, I love this. This is this kumbe de la paz in February and where can. There's a really fabulous project for all of you in the audience and so where can the audience find more about the project. You, you, you, you and your audience were the first ones in listening about this. This has not been publicly announced. No, I have sat in on some of the meetings. On July 27, Terry, when we kick off and announce the press conference, we're going to, we're going to, we're going to publish a website that it's PSALMA 2023.org where folks will be able to see all the different discussions that are going to be happening to different forums that we're going to be having across the US and in New York and California and Florida and then we're going to have dialogues also in at the Mexico US border and in Mexico City. And then we we're going to end in February in Mexico City for this by National Peace Summit. Wow. So watch for that everyone and I really would love you to come back when this is officially launched. And, and let's do an episode, you know, let's basically do a little press conference promoting it, because it's such a fabulous project. We want to get as many people there as possible. I'm so thankful you had time to join us for this episode I just always love talking to you and I love your insights and I, and I love how you articulate all the political and economic variables to our audience it's just really, I always learn so much. I know our audience doesn't I do I learned so much from you and I'm just so thankful for your time. Is there anything we failed to talk about or any one or two points that came out of last week's meeting in DC that should be particularly highlighted. I mean, probably we're probably leaving lots of things out of the out of the conversation. And, but I think that it, you know, I think that the message. It's pretty clear and Biden and I'm going to, for example, read on a 2.6 billion investment along the Mexico US border that's one of the outcomes of a recent conversation. And so that's where I want to put the question, is there is this money going to go to more border security for more, you know, militarized technology is this money going to go to more, you know, immigration officers or border agents, or is this money going to go to build more human rights shelters across the border to make the asylum system much more effective and fast for for all the people that are waiting right now at the border. And I think that's going to be to, you know, better the ecological systems of the border. Well, that depends on how much we fight, and we collaborate on both sides of the border. You know, because probably divided administration is thinking on the first, but we, we the people have the final word. So, yes, I mean, we should be motivated and inspired by what's happening in Mexico and in other parts of America. We should bring that inspiration and that energy to the US. Right now it's a moment November it's the next step. And, and we, you know, we, we who believe in freedom cannot rest until it pops. Okay, with that, I'll let all close our program with those fantastic words. And I just want to remind the audience that you've been listening to what the F is going on in Latin America and the Caribbean code pinks weekly YouTube hot news out of the region, and you can catch us in the evenings, typically 430 p.m. Pacific 730 p.m. Eastern this evening, we were so thankful to get Marco that we were more than than happy to change our time. And so don't forget to catch for the radio every Wednesday, every Thursday morning, excuse me 11am Eastern WBA I New York City WPFW Washington DC, we're also on Pacific radio stations in Houston and Los Angeles now, and both projects can be found on Apple and Spotify. So be sure to catch us next week. And Marco I really hope we have a follow up conversation when the when the peace summit gets launched because I think that is a it's a natural next step to share with our audience. And you know as a as a follow up a continuation of this conversation. So I look forward to having you back. Thank you very much. Okay, thank you. Thank you everyone and we'll see you next week.