Speaking at a Pemex industrial complex on the banks of the Pánuco River in Veracruz on Wednesday, President Claudia Sheinbaum used the 88th anniversary of Mexico’s oil expropriation to set her government’s next energy goal: sharply reducing the country’s dependence on imported natural gas.
While Mexico has made significant progress reducing gasoline imports — thanks to the Olmeca refinery in Dos B...
The Sheinbaum administration’s framing of this event as a revival of the 1938 expropriation narrative – “Mexico will not be sold. Mexico will not be surrendered. Mexico will be defended” – leverages a potent symbol of national identity and resistance to foreign influence. This is a classic Motte-and-Bailey (ARC-0043) tactic: presenting a seemingly straightforward defense of national sovereignty while subtly reinforcing the legacy of state control over natural resources. The assertion of “energy ...