"So Teacher, What is the Right Answer?" - Incorporating Critical Thinking into the Mexican Legal Education: The Application of the US Model

Abstract

Over the past few decades, the Mexican government has made some commitments to improving the rule of law. Meanwhile, many foreign government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private donors, mainly from the United States (U.S.), have also provided tremendous support to help Mexico reform its justice system. Despite these efforts, corruption, injustice, and impunity are still the everyday realities and fixing Mexico's broken rule of law remains an uphill battle. From a technical perspective, it is not easy to develop a comprehensive package of "ambitious legislative changes and constitutional amendments" as well as an effective implementation mechanism. From a financial perspective, adhering to the rule of law does not come cheap; it is inevitable that a substantial budget for reform-associated costs is needed. In addition, there are major obstacles. For instance, one major obstacle to building the rule of law in Mexico is the ruling class' resistance to being ruled by the law for fear of losing their power and privileges.5 A strong political will to implement change is crucial to driving any meaningful reforms in the justice sector. Numerous studies have been conducted with respect to the approaches that Mexico could take to overcome the technical and financial challenges. However, the political will to reform appears to be a less-discussed topic.