M E X I C O-U.S.

R E L A T I O N S

A Reply to Samuel Huntington’s

José Luis Valdés-Ugalde* and Leonardo Curzio**

Nelly Salas/Cuartoscuro

“Huntington’s ideas demonstrate above all a kind

LEONARDO CURZIO: An article by Sam- JOSÉ LUIS VALDÉS-UGALDE: It’s a pre- political science and specific regimes
uel Huntington, “The Hispanic Chal- view by Huntington of his book Who We and political systems, like the authori-
lenge,” appeared in the March-April Are. The Challenges of America’s National tarian regimes in Latin America, and
2004 issue of the influential magazine Identity, soon to be published by Simon he has been widely read by both Latin
Foreign Policy edited by Moises Nahim. and Schuster. Huntington, a Harvard po- Americans and people from the United
What do you think of it, José Luis? litical scientist, is the renowned author States. In this article, he delves into a
of classics like The Clash of Civiliza- polemical issue, I would say in a rather
* Political analyst and director of CISAN. tions and Political Order in Changing provocative way: the supposed Hispa-
** Journalist and researcher at CISAN. Societies. He’s known by all experts in nic threat, specifically the Mexican

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threat, to cultural integration in the these are Huntington’s ideas. I think article in what I think is a dangerous
United States. Huntington basically that they demonstrate above all a kind way because it offers nativists anti-
defends three ideas: one, that the of illustrated xenophobia that we had Mexican arguments during an elec-
avalanche of Mexican immigrants is a not seen in his work and that has sur- toral year, arguments that could even
potential threat for U.S. cultural and prised analysts quite a bit. This article be used as pretexts for an even greater
political integration; second, that the is just beginning to be debated in Mex- anti-Mexican offensive than we have
most serious and immediate threat for ico. I think it’s wrong, that it is a new already seen. In that sense I think the
their identity comes from Latin Amer- expression of intolerance that reflects, article could have very serious impli-
ican migration, particularly from Mex- in any case, a historic fact: the domi- cations. At the same time, it should be
ico; and three, that if Spanish con- nant religion since colonial times in the said that the second series of ideas in
tinues to spread in the United States, United States is the source of three colonial religion involves the way peo-
there will be significant consequences series of ideas that make up part of ple deal with dissent and how to
in political and government matters, most Americans’ “common sense” and behave toward people with ideas that
fundamentally in a process of integra- that Professor Huntington seems to are different from one’s own. This is a
tion that he thinks is continual and share. The first involves identity, who recurring theme in U.S. history. For
constantly increasing and that also in- Americans are, but from an isolation- many Americans, the only way to deal
cludes other aspects like illegality, re- ist vision, from a vision that many have with people whose views are different
gional concentration, persistence and of their own exceptional status and from their own —in this case Mex-
historic presence. Broadly speaking, destiny, that also stands out in the icans or Latinos— is to isolate them. I

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 Me xico-U.S. Relations

think that, as can be seen in Professor has assumed positions that are so pro- to Mexicans’ daily life, that is perfectly
Huntington’s orthodox Protestant view, foundly reactionary at such a delicate integrated into the American model. If
Americans, particularly those who time in U.S. political life. you go to Los Angeles, for example, you
identify themselves as the most reli- don’t feel a break with Mex ico. If
gious, demonstrate with this discourse LEONARDO CURZIO: I am also enor- you go to Houston or many other U.S.
that they are not particularly tolerant mously concerned, since it is a matter cities, you don’t feel you have broken
of behavior that deviates from relative- of the secular integration of two com- with your way of life. I think that the
ly strict norms, even when these same munities, the Hispanic and the Anglo famed Huntington is exaggerating the
people tend to hold to an abstract prin- communities, that have coexisted for argument that Giovanni Sartori made
ciple of “freedom for all” as does Hun- over 100 years in the United States, in in Europe according to which the coun-
tington himself. I think that many which assimilation has been achieved tries of the European Union are trying
Americans accept a relatively authori- almost naturally. I don’t think the bal- to incorporate communities —he is
tarian concept of community, which ance in California, in Texas, in New referring mainly to Muslim commu-
includes practices of indoctrination, Mexico, changes the relationship be- nities— that do not share the values of
among other anti-democratic practices tween these two communities at all. democratic pluralism or the same set
that I think are contained in the article. For example, when you have a chance to of freedoms, and that are the ones
Let me tell you that I also find sub- hear Bill Richardson, the governor of pushing for women to use the veil and
stantial theoretical mistakes in it, above
all with regard to the process of assi-
It has been demonstrated, in contradiction to
milation. It has been demonstrated,
paradoxically in contradiction to what
what Huntington says, that Hispanics are more integrated
Huntington says, that the integration today than they were in the past.
of Hispanics is greater today than it
was in the past. Some studies show a New Mexico, speak Spanish —which who want to preserve at all costs a
decrease in non-assimilated Hispanics he does as well as you or I— or when series of religious elements that distin-
from 40 percent to 26 percent in the we hear Rosario Marín speak Spanish guish them totally from the cultures
last 12 years. This means that today (the woman whose signature is on dol- that have received them. Quite to the
Hispanics are more easily assimilated, lar bills, the former treasurer of the contrary, I maintain that Mexicans ba -
that they incorporate themselves more United States), I don’t see how it affects sically share the values that give cohe-
easily into U.S. society. Most Hispan- the United States. I am also enormous- sion to the phenomenon that Hunting-
ics (around 63 percent) are bilingual ly concerned about Huntington’s the- ton himself calls American civilization.
or bicultural. Mexican Americans and oretical contradiction. Just a few years
Hispanics in general feel comfortable ago, in The Clash of Civilizations, he JOSÉ LUIS VALDÉS-UGALDE: I agree.
speaking both languages. That is why said that there were two countries, I also think that this recognized politi-
it seems to me to be an unpardonable Turkey and Mexico, that were divided cal scientist is wrongly zeroing in on
error when Huntington makes language between two civilizations. Turkey, he Hispanics when he talks of regional
the central issue in his argument. I said, is Islamic, but at the same time it concentration, for example, or the ina-
think it is very anti-Mexican and it is part of Europe. He said that Mexico bility to speak the host country’s lan-
clearly directs the article not against is a country that shares an enormous guage. We should not forget that the
immigrants in general, but against a number of values with what he calls Irish and Italians concentrated in
particular population that he consid- the Hispanic-American civilization, but the northeastern United States. Nor
ers a danger, but that is actually only a at the same time is a profoundly Amer- should we forget that populations like
threat for traditional nativism, which in ican nation. In many ways, ours is a the Cubans, concentrated in Miami,
this case is racist. It is unfortunate —and, country with many values, like con- or Mexicans in California show the
as academics, we have to emphatically sumption patterns, the organization of degree of immigrant communities’
say so— that Professor Huntington our cities and much of what is related openness and are the ones that have

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made the United States what it is as a series of positions that I think are in a in cultural terms; in terms of a world
nation, including, of course, the last minority, today’s world does not nec- view; and of diversity in many senses.
Hispanic or Mexican immigrant who essarily have a single dominant color, This is a fact that cannot be denied.
entered the country yesterday. These a dominant language or a dominant Nor can the “loss” of sovereignty or a
are populations that have not only culture. It is really an infinity of mix- supposed loss of a specific integrity
shown great openness, but also a no- tures that already exist and that ex- or cultural identity of the nation be
table capacity to adapt to the U.S. life plain, from their wealth of diversity ascribed to Mexicans or other Latinos.
style and norms. and tolerance, the importance and I think this is a wrong analysis and, in
I think that Huntington’s argument need to recognize that this is not only effect, theoretically contradictory and
is an exaggeration that negates another a sign of our time but is also a value politically dangerous.
fundamental aspect: the issue of mix- added for our societies. We must be
ing in multi-ethnic societies, today’s emphatic and direct: in the United
societies. Neither Europe nor the States, not only have Mexican immi-
United States are exempt from this. grants been mistreated, but the coun-
England, France and Germany show try has been enriched by the entry of
NOTES
that, even though each of these nations Latin American immigrants, particu-
has recalcitrant sectors that resist im- larly Mexicans. This is true in terms,
1 This is the transcription of an interview broad-
migrants, the veil and people of color, for example, of the extraction of sur- cast on the popular radio program “Enfoque,”
defending racial purity and a whole plus value in hiring; in culinary terms; Monday, March 9, 2004.

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