Parliamentary diplomacy, populist foreign policy and human rights: president López Obrador’s reaction to the 2022 resolution of the European Parliament

Abstract

In March 2022, the European Parliament condemned the serious situation of journalists and human rights defenders in Mexico through a plenary resolution adopted by 607 votes in favor, 2 against and 73 abstentions. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador´s reaction was surprisingly hostile, both in form and content. In so doing, the President distanced himself from the usual way in which the resolutions of the European Parliament had been received by Mexico since the entry into force in 2000 of the international agreement that governs relations with the European Union. This article seeks to explain this reaction, through a comprehensive qualitative empirical analysis that innovatively links two dimensions of International Relations. These dimensions refer, on the one hand, to the literature on populism and foreign policy and, on the other, to the literature on parliamentary diplomacy. Besides providing interesting insights regarding both dimensions, the article seeks to encourage a broader and deeper study of the relationship between populism and parliamentary diplomacy. Until now, this relationship remains largely unexplored.