Mexican president wanted to lead Latin America, but reality and his own rhetoric got in the way

By MARK STEVENSON
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office in 2018 hoping to recover Mexico’s old reputation as the diplomatic leader of Latin America. What he’s managed to do, however, is get several of his country’s ambassadors kicked out of countries in the region. On Thursday, Ecuador ordered the Mexican ambassador to leave after López Obrador made some insulting comments about current Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa. Peru and Bolivia had expelled Mexican ambassadors in recent years. In part it’s López Obrador’s ham-handed approach to foreign policy, and in part it is his failure to adapt to the quick changes in Latin American politics that have seen leftists swept out of power in rapid time.