Resurgence of Energy Nationalism in Mexico: Classic Purposes, Historical Obstacles, and Green Opportunities for the Energy Sector

ABSTRACT In 2018, Mexico's new government set the ambitious goal of recovering the energy sector's role as an economic engine within the framework of the development strategy known as the fourth transformation. The government defined the objective to achieve energy self‐sufficiency for the sector and redesigned mechanisms such as energy and fiscal policy. Yet, the structural difficulties the industry faces generate uncertainty about the possibilities of achieving the objective defined by the government. Findings reveal some structural issues in the sector show slight improvements, such as gasoline production levels, whereas others, such as the energy transition process of the Mexican economy, have been delayed. This article aims to analyze the effects of the measures adopted by the current Mexican government regarding national energy security in the context of a resurgence of natural resource nationalism.