Peace in the post-transitional Mexican State: Tensions and structural challenges

Abstract

The democratic transition in Mexico, initiated with the political alternation of power in the year 2000, remains unfinished, as electoral advances, legal reforms, and party pluralism did not translate into a profound transformation of social, economic, and institutional structures. As a result, patterns of inequality, weakness of the rule of law, and institutional fragility persist, limiting governability and the State’s capacity to guarantee security, justice, and well-being for the population. Mexico continues to be trapped in strategies aimed at achieving negative peace without addressing the root causes. The current situation is characterized by the absence of a formal war yet marked by high levels of lethal violence, organized crime, impunity, and corruption. This violence is not only direct but also structural, expressed through multidimensional poverty, regional underdevelopment, income inequality, and the lack of effective access to basic rights. Advancing toward a genuine positive peace requires structural transformations that strengthen the rule of law, reduce inequality, and place victims at the center of public action.