Zócalo Public Square

Arizona and Mexico, separated at birth? Panelists at a Zócalo/Azteca event Phoenix didn’t go that far, but in a conversation moderated by New York Times Phoenix bureau chief Fernanda Santos about Mexico’s economic rise and the opportunities it creates for Arizona and the U.S. Southwest, it became apparent that Arizona and Mexico have a lot in common--including bad reputations that represent significant barriers to achieving greater prosperity together. The three panelists--two from Arizona (Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton and former Arizona-Mexico Commission executive director Margie A. Emmermann) and one from Mexico (Signum Research CEO and economist Héctor Romero) took pains to dispel those reputations.