Border War; A former U.S. ambassador to Mexico analyzes the neighbors.(Mexico-United States relations)

Byline: Scott Johnson

Not long after the terrorist attacks of September 11, Jeffrey Davidow went to Washington for a meeting between George W. Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox. Davidow, then U.S. ambassador to Mexico, thought Mexico had dropped the ball after 9/11, withholding the moral support that America's other allies had offered. As they waited for Fox to arrive, a U.S. official asked Davidow why Mexicans "hate us." Davidow was at a loss for words, as he relates in his diplomatic memoir, "The U.S. and Mexico: The Bear and the Porcupine" (Markus Wiener. 256 pages ), an account of his years (1998-2002) as ambassador. Secretary of State Colin Powell came to the rescue. "They don't hate us," he said. "They resent us. It's different."

That culture of resentment forms half of the dynamic Davidow sees at the core of the U.S.-Mexico relationship. The other half is the arrogant attitude of the United States--the bear in the title. (The porcupine represents Mexico's prickly attitude toward its big northern neighbor.) The analogy struck a chord in Mexico when the Spanish-language edition was published last fall. (It hit U.S. bookstores in English last week.) The United States was "sick with arrogance," Mexican historian Enrique Krauze commented, while Mexico was still mired in a "schizophrenic" mix of admiration and resentment. The book quickly sold out in Mexican bookstores, partly for its tart observations of prominent Mexican figures like former foreign minister (and NEWSWEEK columnist) Jorge Castaneda ("imperious and irascible"). It added to a growing debate about the need for a psychological change in the relationship.

It's high time, ...