Q&A with Felipe Calderón on drug war, immigration, pizza
Former Mexican President Felipe Calderón sat down for an exclusive interview with the Daily Herald before giving his keynote speech Thursday at Judson University's fifth annual World Leaders Forum in Elgin. Here are some of his responses.
Q. How can you get U.S. lawmakers and future administrations to buy into fighting global climate change and making drastic changes toward curbing carbon emissions and ending fossil fuel subsidies?
Calderón. Providing information without offending people. Respecting everybody's ideas. Science is providing every day more evidence about this, but it's important to have a rational discussion about that. But at the same time it's quite important to find economic alternatives because a lot of people believe that tackling climate change implies huge economic costs. Nobody, either in the government or in the Congress, or in the business sector will take a huge step to curb carbon emissions. So we are working with the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate looking for alternatives that allow us to get economic growth and create the jobs we need, and at the same time, to be responsible to the environment.
Q. What more could you have done to fight Mexican drug cartels?
Calderón. There's not exactly a war on drugs. This is an American concept. It was coined by President (Richard) Nixon many years ago. My aim was to enforce the law in Mexico, to make Mexico a real global country, and to protect the Mexican families. My main adversity was not drugs itself, but it was organized crime which was overtaking the control of towns and cities in Mexico. Once they had the control of a town or the police in a town, they started to extract ransom from people, kidnapping, extorting, or establishing protection rackets. Still an ongoing problem, but Mexico is improving honestly. The rate of homicides in Mexico started to decrease one year before I left office, and the decreasing trend continues. The quality of law enforcement agencies is improving.
Q. What is the biggest regret of your presidency? Do you have some things left unfinished?
Calderón. I have always tried to conduct my own behavior and decisions under principles of honesty and common good. But of course, especially in the front of security, much more things must be done in Mexico. I didn't finish the task and I would liked to have finished it before I left office.
Q. What are your thoughts about immigration reform in the U.S. and how it needs to be handled with respect to its policy toward Mexico?
Calderón. I support the comprehensive initiative promoted by President Obama and several groups in the American society. It is important to start (building) some bridges that can deliver pragmatical results. I respect the people working for the whole enchilada. Meanwhile, it's important to reach some achievements ... it's important to look for partial advances, for instance, like providing temporary jobs and permits to people in a way that both sides of the aisle will feel comfortable. Also, provide opportunities for people that once they cross the border they will be able to go back to Mexico because they are afraid that if they do that, they will never be able to come back to the U.S.
Q. How have your parents influenced you?
Calderón. Both of them had a lot of influence with me, in particular my father. My father was one of the founders of the most important political party in Mexico. He did it when Mexico was an autocratic regime. When I was a kid I joined my father knocking on doors and shouting out political slogans. My father always was a candidate because nobody else wanted to be a candidate of the opposition at that time in my town. He said, "We are doing a moral duty for the country. If we don't do this, nobody else will do that ... forget about victories. This is the way in which we understand charity and you love your neighbors in this house." That's the way in which I became involved in politics. I started when I was like 9 or 10 years old. It was funny in the beginning because I didn't understand honestly what I was doing. My mother participated as well, and my brothers and sisters.
Q. Did you ever imagine that you would someday run for the presidency?
Calderón. Not at that time. We lived most of the time with the idea that we will never, ever see any governor coming from our party, let alone president. The story was that we would never make it.
Q. What are the qualities one needs to develop to be a leader?
Calderón. Beliefs. Principles. You need to do whatever the things in which you believe, otherwise the leadership is completely empty.
Q. Who inspires you as a world leader?
Calderón. Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., and Winston Churchill ... because they led their people in very difficult times and very difficult circumstances. People were fighting against segregation, racism or leading a country in World War II. If they were not people of principles, I think it would be impossible to lead in such a way.
Q. Who is your favorite author?
Calderón. Enrique Krauze, a Mexican intellectual and historian, and the late Carlos Fuentes Marcias, a Mexican novelist and essayist.
Q. Your favorite book?
Calderón. "The Labyrinth of Solitude" by Octavio Paz, which describes very well the Mexican people in a poetic, profound, philosophical way.
Q. Which do you prefer, deep dish or thin crust pizza?
Calderón. I prefer tacos.