This editorial by Abraham Nuncio originally appeared in the April 30, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper. The views expressed in this article are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect those ofMexico Solidarity Mediaor theMexico Solidarity Project*.*
Few moments in our contemporary history have been more urgent and valid to speak of national sovereignty than they are now. Various actors and political measures threaten, undermine, and weaken it. We see this in the practical decisions that the United States government makes in the name of its national security and the fight against drug trafficking against countries that do not fully align with its policies, including, notably, our own. We also observe it in the partisan opposition and its media and social expression, without ignoring measures taken by the Mexican government—both federal and some state—that have the same effect.
Today we are suffering the consequences of what many voices warned about regarding Ambassador Ronald D. Johnson’s interventionist and destabilizing past. Those warnings were dismissed, and his presence in our country was accepted. What, then, is the purpose of the agrément? Its application, in this case, would have spared us the serious problems we face today with an equally dangerous Lane Wilson.
National sovereignty—which also requires timely decisions—is broken down into many different dimensions: territorial, subsoil, airspace, hydrographic, and water resources. And also agricultural, health, educational, financial, and others.
The self-justifying and demagogic nature of the fight against drug trafficking was laid bare in the US military attack on Venezuela. Hospitals, research units, and civilian areas were bombed. None of the attacks targeted a single drug den. Of course, because even if one had existed, that wouldn’t have been their objective.
Thanks to important investigations and journalistic reports, we now know that drug traffickers, counterinsurgency paramilitaries, anti-terrorist forces, certain intellectual circles and media outlets are nothing more than instruments of the United States to destabilize governments and legitimize its neocolonial atrocities in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.
There are various cracks through which the maneuvers of both the one and the other in the anti-sovereign war can seep in. The economic crack is the largest.
In an article in El Coahuilense, we read that more than 35 organizations protested against fracking. We found neither the civic awareness nor the journalism of that publication in Nuevo León. “They assert that while Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum proposes a ‘scientific committee’ to discuss supposedly sustainable fracking , the international evidence is clear: this practice consumes enormous quantities of water, contaminates it, worsens air quality, affects people’s health, and leaves lasting damage to the land. Sustainable fracking does not exist .”
The same statement asserts, regarding sovereignty, that “fracking does not represent sustainable development for Coahuila nor energy sovereignty for Mexico. It depends on external financing and foreign technology, so the benefits are concentrated in large international companies, while the state’s local communities would bear the environmental, social, and health costs.” Hence their criticism: “It is unacceptable that this week the governor is traveling to the United States to seek investments for this industry. Instead of protecting the water, health, and future of Coahuila’s communities, he is offering the state’s territory to expand a technique banned in various countries, such as France, Ireland, and Uruguay.”
The same environmental and social damage (cracks in homes due to certain earthquakes, water scarcity and contamination) that result from shale gas extraction has been observed in the Burgos Basin (Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas) or in the Palo Duro and Dalhart Basins (Texas) or the Bakken Basin (North Dakota).
The “experts,” as we know, know a lot about very little. And when it comes to an energy resource, a multidisciplinary and thorough understanding is required. In two months, there will only be enough time for a fast-track legislative approval of the intensive use of fracking. Regarding this issue, I have several questions.
The United States’ dependence on gas (almost 70 percent) is real. One. How is this type of energy distributed in terms of development? Two. Could Washington truly cut off the gas it sells to Mexico without shooting itself in the foot?
Shale gas exploration and extraction is not new in Mexico; it has been going on for over a decade. According to the Mexican Alliance Against Fracking, nearly 8,000 wells have been drilled in Mexico with little regard for environmental and social impact. Officially, it has been stated that future operations will be more sustainable thanks to technological advancements. These advancements already existed before 2010. Why weren’t they adapted to the conditions of that time? Could it be because they are less profitable? What real and verifiable sustainability experiences will the ad hoc committee formed by the government use as a basis for its studies and conclusions? When a measure that opens up strategic exploitation to private companies is applauded by the right wing, its business leaders, and spokespeople, can we expect it to translate into benefits for the majority, development, and national sovereignty?
Regarding national sovereignty, there is no doubt. It is essential to decisively support President Claudia Sheinbaum and her government. But without partisan or self-serving blind allegiance. And even less so without the necessary, ongoing, and irrevocable exercise of critical judgment.
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Fracking & Sovereignty
May 3, 2026
When a measure that opens up strategic exploitation to private companies is applauded by the right wing, its business leaders, and spokespeople, can we expect it to translate into benefits for the majority, development, and national sovereignty?
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Expel the CIA
May 3, 2026May 3, 2026
“The CIA has violated the Mexican Constitution and I do not believe that its prompt expulsion from the national territory can be avoided.”
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Audio Links Milei to Regional Disinformation Operation Against Sheinbaum & Petro
May 3, 2026May 3, 2026
Argentine President Javier Milei reportedly contributed $350,000, according to audio recordings of former Honduran and drug trafficker President Juan Orlando Hernández.
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