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Former Canadian and Mexican heads of state shared a stage Thursday in El Paso Thursday to discuss North America’s role in global geopolitics on the heels of Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Mexico’s Vicente Fox and former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke to more than 500 people attending the annual U.S.-Mexico Border Summit held by the Borderplex Alliance on Thursday.
Harper urged a strong response from the U.S. and allied nations against Russian aggression. Fox — whose country has a long tradition of non-interventionism in foreign policy — said global powers needed to respect that Russia was acting in its own self-interest.
Harper called Russian President Vladimir Putin “an extremely dangerous tyrant.”
“Going forward we have to understand what we are dealing with,” Harper said, noting that he had “a legendarily bad relationship with Vladimir Putin” during his term. “We have to be prepared to take a stand if this continues.”
More:‘Texas stands with the people of Ukraine’: Greg Abbott, George W. Bush, Ted Cruz condemn Putin’s invasion
Fox called Putin “a great leader, an incredible leader” who is “profoundly nationalistic.”
“He loves his country. He works for his people. And many times we don’t understand him from the outside,” Fox said, comparing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. “It is very difficult to judge from outside.”
He advocated for the return to a “multi-lateral sovereign system for tackling conflicts among nations.” The United Nations needs to be the moral authority again, he said.
Both Harper and Fox underscored the economic ties between North American nations.
Mexico is the United States’ largest goods trading partner with $614.5 billion in total two-way trade in 2019, according to the U.S. Office of the Trade Representative. Canada is a close second, with $612.1 billion in total two-way goods trade with the U.S. in 2019.
“I think the only way to compete and survive and defend western civilization is North America: It’s Mexico; it’s the United States; it’s Canada,” Fox said. “It’s the three of us, together.”
Asked about China’s ascendancy on the world stage, Harper said “Let’s not forget that in the past 40 years, China has managed to lift more people out of poverty than anyone has ever done. China has had a trade strategy to make itself a hegemonic power in the world. I try to warn people about this.”
Fox served as president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006, becoming the first president from a political party other than the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, that ran Mexico for more than 80 years.
Harper led Canada from 2006 to 2015.
The Borderplex Alliance, a regional economic development organization, held the U.S.-Mexico Border Summit at the Plaza and Paso del Norte hotels.
Lauren Villagran can be reached at lvillagran@elpasotimes.com.
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