Major powers lose their sphere of influence, not due to encroaching adversaries, but to their denial of their neighbor’s autonomy. They overplay their hand, abuse their power, and fail to provide their neighbors with anything worth staying for.

What happens in Mexico will resonate throughout Latin America. If the reform succeeds and ushers in a judicial system subordinated to political power or electoral whims, it could open the door to a new wave of authoritarianism disguised as popular participation. As regional history has shown, when justice becomes hostage to politics, rights are always the first to lose.