The condemnation was swift and to the point. Within hours of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu passing part of his government’s proposed judicial reform through the Knesset, the White House blasted out a
statement
saying, “It is unfortunate that the vote today took place with the slimmest possible majority.” The day before, President Joe Biden
told
Netanyahu to delay a vote on the legislation.
If the legislation in question was before the Republican-controlled
House of Representatives
, this response would be unsurprising. But legislative advocacy in the domestic affairs of an allied democracy is notable — not only because of how contentious the issue is in both Israel and the United States, but also because it accentuates a double standard with how the Biden administration has responded to significant threats to free elections and democratic institutions in other countries.
HUNTER BIDEN PLEA DEAL COLLAPSES IN COURT AS JUDGE THROWS ‘CURVEBALL’
In February, for example, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his allies in the Mexican Congress pushed through legislation that would have severely undermined the country’s National Electoral Institute only a year before the next presidential election. The so-called Plan B reforms would have severely cut INE’s budget, gutted its powers to enforce election rules, and reduced its independence.
Given how important preserving Mexico’s democracy is to the United States, how did the administration respond? State Department spokesman Ned Price
noted
that the “great debate” over electoral reforms “illustrates Mexico’s vibrant democracy” and expressed support for a “well-resourced, independent electoral system.” U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar has even
echoed
claims by AMLO that the 2006 Mexican presidential election was potentially illegitimate. The Mexican president’s belief that he had that election stolen from him is believed to be a driving force behind his enmity toward the INE.
Another target of AMLO’s attacks is Mexico’s Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, which has
invalidated
Plan B and other policies implemented by the current government. The Mexican president has
called
SCJN “rotten” and
accused
Norma Pina, its first female president, of actions that are “illegal and injustices against the public interest.” After AMLO held a rally in Mexico City’s main square in March, some attendees
burned
an effigy of Pina. On July 20, deputies for AMLO’s ruling party
filed
articles of impeachment against SCJN members. To date, there has been silence from the White House and State Department.
On its face, what is happening in Mexico is a far more significant threat to U.S. interests than the Israeli judicial reform. Long-term dysfunction and democratic backsliding in Mexico threaten to create lasting safe havens for transnational criminal groups that are responsible for smuggling people and drugs, including fentanyl, across the U.S.’s southern border. It also threatens the U.S. economy — Mexico is on track to
become
America’s largest trading partner in 2023, facilitated by a free trade agreement that depends on a democratic and reliable Mexican government.
Meanwhile, Israel’s judicial reform has been a topic of legitimate debate among both American
liberals
and
conservatives
, both on the
substance
of the reforms and
how
they have been pushed forward. Given the enduring ties between the United States and Israel, these debates are important. But Biden’s decision to intervene is a different question.
Ultimately, the difference in the Biden administration’s approach to the two issues could come down to U.S. domestic politics. The White House has faced significant
pressure
within the Democratic Party to become a public actor in the debate over Israel’s domestic institutions. In contrast, unnamed administration officials
told
the New York Times last year that Mexico’s role in managing migrant flows to the southern border gave AMLO “the power to damage [Biden’s] political future.” Even though
it has not delivered results
, avoiding open conflict with AMLO is a priority for the administration.
As the Wall Street Journal editorial board rightly
pointed out
, “Israel’s judicial debate is far down the list of urgent problems in the Middle East.” Applying that closer to home, Americans would be better off if President Joe Biden and his team focused far more attention on what is happening in Mexico.
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Connor Pfeiffer is the executive director of the Forum for American Leadership and a former national security adviser to a member of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations and Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. His Twitter handle is @ConnorPfeiffer.
