Due to its strategic location, global economic weight, territorial extension, and bicoceanic access, Mexico must position itself as a rising regional power and a relevant actor within the international system. Yet domestic security concerns have long dominated the national agenda, pushing transnational phenomena — those with the capacity to reshape the country’s future — to the margins. In short, international security defines, to a large extent, Mexico’s viability as a nation. 

Mexico’s strategic dilemma is simple: either it assumes itself as a regional power with an active role in international security, or it remains a mere spectator. 

 Addressing this challenge requires emerging countries like Mexico to define their role and objectives in the global arena — taking into account their geographic position as a North American nation. Against this backdrop, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) in Mexico, the Institute for Strategy and Defense Research (ISDR), and the School of Government and Public Transformation at Tec de Monterrey joined forces to host this inaugural forum: a 7-hour event featuring prominent national and international academics who shared their vision on Mexico’s role in the international arena.