Decades of cooperation between Mexico and the United States may be coming to an end. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador gave a fiery speech on March 18 to thousands of people gathered in the streets of the Plaza de la Constitución—also known as El Zócalo—in Mexico City. Listening to the speeches (or reading a translation thereof) one gets the impression that the United States and Mexico are not trading partners but warring countries.

The Mexican president, known by his initials as amlo, accused the U.S. of threatening to invade his country. On another occasion, he called those in the U.S. government liars. While the issues could be resolved, the fact that the situation escalated so quickly shows that the tensions between the two countries are deep.

The recent tensions were sparked after the kidnapping of four U.S. citizens in Matamoros, a Mexican border town. Conservative politicians in the U.S., who have long been concerned about the border crisis, reached out to Mexico proposing to help Mexico deal with drug cartels and related violence. They also proposed using the U.S. military. This outraged amlo, who called the proposed aid a military threat. In his March 18 speech he said:

We remind those hypocritical and irresponsible politicians that Mexico is an independent and free country, not a U.S. colony or protectorate. They may threaten us with outrageous abuses, but we will never allow them to violate our sovereignty and trample on the dignity of our homeland. Cooperation, yes; submission, no. Interventionism, no. Oligarchy, no.

Mexico has a problem with out-of-control drug cartels. But it’s also making money selling these drugs over the border to an increasingly addicted and divided country. amlo doesn’t seem interested in solving the crisis. Instead, he seeks to inspire national pride and project resentment toward America.

On March 22, amlo put more coals on the fire when he responded to a report issued by the U.S. State Department that warned of “significant human rights issues” in Mexico. The president called the report “lies” and added that the real “violence” to be concerned about are the reports of the U.S. blowing up the Nord Stream pipeline that connects Russia and Germany. He noted:

It is not true. They are lying. It is pure politicking, with all due respect. It is their nature. They do not want to abandon the Monroe Doctrine and before, the so-called Manifest Destiny. They do not want to change, so they believe they are the government of the world, and they only see the speck in someone else’s eye and not the beam in their own. But it is not a reason to get angry. It is just the way they are.

Mexico is one of the top three trading partners of the United States—even placing first in 2019. The United States, however, is an even more important trading partner for Mexico, placing, with no imminent competition, number one. But the recent resentments could cause other trading partners of Mexico to gain significance.

In January, amlo announced that the German carmaker bmw is planning a major new investment of €800 million (us$866.6 million) in the central Mexican state of San Luis Potosi. On the larger scale, the German-led European Union finalized a trade deal with Mexico in 2018.

The Bible reveals that America’s current state of luxury is about to end because it continues to break God’s law. Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote in “America Is Being Besieged Economically”:

Because of our sins, our nations are losing our prosperity and international prestige.

Notice this specific warning of a curse for disobedience: “And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee” (verse 52).

This besiegement will come in part as a result of an alliance between Latin America and Europe. Mexico’s resentment toward the U.S. has barely made the news. But this coming besiegement will. To learn more, read Mr. Flurry’s article “America Is Being Besieged Economically.”