The practicality of annexing Mexico

[ScratchMonkey]

One solution proposed to deal with illegal immigration is to annex Mexico. How practical is that? What obstacles stand in the way? What new problems would it introduce?

A quick google suggests that the meme is popular, with 138k hits:

http://www.google.com/search?num=100...co&btnG=Search

[Steeler]

Originally Posted by ScratchMonkey

What obstacles stand in the way?

Well, Mexico, for one.

[Rincewind]

Oh man. I think the main problem would be the war leading up to the annexing. And after that, it would probably be hard for humvees to get traction on city-sized sheets of glass, making it difficult to get our flag to Mexico City.

I think Steeler sums it up nicely.

[ScratchMonkey]

So you're saying that there's no carrot you can use to get the Mexican government to go for it?

Rather than just blanket shoot down the idea, let's try to isolate exactly what obstacles are present and what would be needed to overcome those obstacles.

The US has acquired other independent tracts of land over its history. We used to be just the Eastern seaboard. We didn't have to glass the rest of North America to get to our current size.

[Steeler]

Originally Posted by ScratchMonkey

So you're saying that there's no carrot you can use to get the Mexican government to go for it.

I don't think there's a carrot big enough to convince a power structure to simply dissolve. And the Mexican populace have enough national pride not to roll over and accept governance from Washington. I could just as easily suggest that Canada annex the US.

So you're looking at war. A war of conquest. Annexation is just a fancy term for invasion.

[leejo]

I think that over time it will become more and more in Mexico's interest to erode the various social, political, and physical borders between us. It will be in our interest too. We have a partnership, like it or not, and at the end of the day there will be a bloodless, more or less, annexation.

[USN_Squid]

Originally Posted by ScratchMonkey

The US has acquired other independent tracts of land over its history. We used to be just the Eastern seaboard. We didn't have to glass the rest of North America to get to our current size.

Well, we didn't have to "glass" what is now the SW US, but we did start a war with Mexico on questionable grounds and march into Mexico City with our Army. As terms of the treaty to end the war Mexico was compelled to sell us the land. That's about as close to Glassing as you could get in 1848.

Many Mexicans still feel we stole that land. Not just the Mechas, and the Aztlan locos either, but regular Mexicans. It would be impossible to negotiate an annexation. I think Leejo is more or less correct, in that our borders will mean less and less in the near future.

[ScratchMonkey]

There was the Louisiana Purchase with France. We bought Alaska from the Russians. I don't recall the politics of Hawaii but wasn't that relatively bloodless? Could we just "buy" the government of Mexico? (Talk about corruption!)

[SmokingTarpan]

I think there's a large difference between buying out pieces of colonies as opposed to buying the actual country. Selling off the LA territory with disposable citizenry across the ocean is one thing, selling off mainland peoples at your doorstep is completely different.

[Mirfee]

Supposing for a second that the US could even 'buy' Mexico... who keeps the money? Not Mexicans, I bet (aside from the politicians who sold out their countrymen).

(Yes, I know it's oversimplified and snarky).

[perry]

Nevermind convincing the Mexicans that they need to be annexed, you couldn't convince the American people that they need to annex Mexico.

[xTYBALTx]

Why not form an AU (American Union)?


edit: I just looked at my post again, and realized it appears quite cavalier. I actually intend to raise the idea, not to suggest that it's a simple and/or obvious solution.

[WhiskeySix]

what, you mean like United states?

[aeroripper]

Originally Posted by ScratchMonkey

One solution proposed to deal with illegal immigration is to annex Mexico. How practical is that? What obstacles stand in the way? What new problems would it introduce?

A quick google suggests that the meme is popular, with 138k hits:

http://www.google.com/search?num=100...co&btnG=Search

Lets annex Canada after Mexico then we can create the United Freedom Zone of the Americas. Beware terrorists and evildoers!

[Santa]

From my limited US history from 8th grade, i think we only invaded mexico due to border tensions created from the mexican government not completely aggreeing with what Texas thought it's borders were after the Texan revolution. Mexico believed their border reached as far north as the Nueces river (too lazy to make sure thats the correct river), and Texas belived its border was as far south as the Rio Grande.

Besides border disputes, we had a nationalistic desire to have our country reach from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and if we didnt start a war with Mexico it was impossible to achieve "manifest destiny". Today, we dont have any such desire to expand our borders to, say, Guatemala. Not to mention the amount of corruption annexing Mexico would probably bring, and the cultural conflicts that would arise. Ill be honest in my ignorance of Mexican culture, as im sure a lot of Mexicans are about equally ignorant of American culture.

But thats just 8th grade US history for ya