Dr. Imtiaz Hussain is Professor of International Relations at Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Hussain has published numerous articles in journals such as Dialogo Iberoamericano, Journal of International and Area Studies, and Bologña Center Journal of International Affairs.
2006 0-7734-5734-8 Designed to build Central American infrastructures, Mexico’s Plan Puebla Panamá (PPP) was launched with fervor in 2001 but collapsed hopelessly by 2003. A content analysis finds the Washington Consensus severely at odds with indigenous cultures, while invoking the broader globalization-localization debate. As Mexico’s latest bridging efforts with Central America drifted in lose-lose directions, readers are exposed to the fate many modern chief executives face under similar circumstances. Defying familiar international relations postulations, these findings not only elevate James Rosenau’s catch-all turbulence theory, but also show how drawing-board disconnections mirror those in the trenches. Both developed and developing countries have plenty to learn from PPP’s wide-ranging experiences.