El Cinco de Mayo

Back in late 1861, Napoleon III sent a small French expeditionary force to seize control of Mexico City under the pretext of collecting overdue debt payments. About 6,500 soldiers marched inland from Vera Cruz, following the same path that an American army had taken in 1847. Mexican general Ignacio Zaragoza pulled together a smaller force near Puebla, blocking the French advance with a fortified defensive line. On May 5, 1862, the French attempted to break this line, but were defeated and in turn attacked by machete-wielding Indians and small but fierce cavalry units and forced to withdraw. President Benito Juárez declared The Battle of Puebla Day a national holiday that has ever since been celebrated as Cinco de Mayo. The relevance for today should not be lost: the French, stuck with Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie, his goading wife, sent in a much larger army and eventually captured Mexico City in 1864. Then as now, it proved much easier to defeat conventional forces than guerillas and partisans, and in 1867, Maximilian I, the puppet “emperor” of Mexico. was sent to the wall with two of his generals and shot by firing squad. Juárez was returned to power as president after the French departed for good.

The gallant General Zaragoza, victor at the Battle of Puebla, died at age 33 from typhoid fever less than a year after the battle.

These days, there is unrest in Mexico once more. Outside Mexico City, machete-wielding protestors recently fought with riot police over new restrictions on florist stands and shops. Keep in mind that all manner of cut flowers are exported in bulk from Latin America to the USA, so what happens there will cascade to as far as Detroit. Also, outgoing President Vincente Fox refused to sign a recently passed Congressional bill that decriminalizes possession of small amounts of various drugs, probably under pressure from his pals in Washington, D.C. Still, Mexico City may become a lot more like Amsterdam in the near future. I suppose this would allow concentration on more serious crimes, as well as stimulate tourism.

In Bolivia, President Evo Morales nationalized that nation’s oil and gas fields and sent in the Army to take control. Foreign-owned corporations must either comply with the new way and pay back taxes, or be expelled. This is a hugely popular move to Morales’ supporters, including many impoverished Indians who hope to raise their standard of living. On May Day in La Paz, Morales announced: “This is just the start . . . tomorrow or the day after it will be mining, then the forestry sector, and eventually all the natural resources for which our ancestors fought.”

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Tony Blair downsized Foreign Minister Jack Straw, one of the main players in the Iraq debacle, and sent him to Parliament; Margaret Beckett will become the first woman foreign minister in UK history. More changes are underway amid general sentiment for Blair to resign, largely because of his naive support for a dubious American foreign policy. Back in the USA, the CIA director announced his resignation, with more surprises coming down the line. In Detroit, looks like there will be a $100 fine for talking on a cellphone while driving, plus a nightly curfew for everyone younger than eighteen. Ain’t life grand?

Viva Mexico! Happy Cinco de Mayo!