The conventional U.S. wisdom today is that Mexico is a problem, and Brazil is an opportunity. The reality is that Mexico is less of the bloody, drug ridden mess that the media would lead the US to believe, and Brazil faces some serious issues that shouldn't be dismissed. For Brazil, underlying economic weaknesses like its huge income gap, high inflation, and a higher crime rate than Mexico (25 per 1000,000 homicide rate to Mexico's 14 to 100,000) threaten to undermine the country's recent economic boom. And too much negative attention surrounding Mexico's crime rates draws attention away from the country's positive economic growth and political reforms. Shannon O'Neil, Latin American Studies Fellow, gives a fair take on these two popular nearshore destinations.
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