The second-largest economy in Latin America, Mexico seems poised to enter a new growth phase as the government of Enrique Peña Nieto implements radical changes in a number of sectors across the economy. The reforms, aimed at raising the competitiveness of the Mexican economy, have the potential to establish Mexico’s position as a regional powerhouse. Optimism surrounding the recent wave of reforms, coupled with a stable macroeconomic environment and an improved credit rating from international agencies, has placed Mexico centre-stage. Despite slower than anticipated growth of 1.1% in 2013, a wave of reforms affecting a range of sectors is expected to bring a new dynamism to the economy and continue to attract increasing amounts of foreign investment. A highly anticipated energy reform approved by Congress in 2013 will for the first time in decades open the nationalised oil industry to foreign investment, while a new public-private partnership law is set to provide the climate of legal certainty needed to attract private investment in the myriad of sectors undergoing expansion. While challenges remain, in particular informality and deficient domestic supply chains, growth prospects remain positive for the second-largest economy in Latin America.

Freedom in the World, the Freedom House flagship survey whose findings have been published annually since 1972, is the standard-setting comparative assessment of global political rights and civil liberties. The survey ratings and narrative reports on 195 countries and fourteen territories are used by policymakers, the media, international corporations, civic activists, and human rights defenders to monitor trends in democracy and track improvements and setbacks in freedom worldwide. The Freedom in the World political rights and civil liberties ratings are determined through a multi-layered process of research and evaluation by a team of regional analysts and eminent scholars. The analysts used a broad range of sources of information, including foreign and domestic news reports, academic studies, nongovernmental organizations, think tanks, individual professional contacts, and visits to the region, in conducting their research. The methodology of the survey is derived in large measure from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and these standards are applied to all countries and territories, irrespective of geographical location, ethnic or religious composition, or level of economic development.

The best country-by-country assessment of human rights. The human rights records of more than ninety countries and territories are put into perspective in Human Rights Watch's signature yearly report. Reflecting extensive investigative work undertaken by Human Rights Watch staff, in close partnership with domestic human rights activists, the annual World Report is an invaluable resource for journalists, diplomats, and citizens, and is a must-read for anyone interested in the fight to protect human rights in every corner of the globe.

This is one of a series of special reports that have been published on a semi-annual basis by Justice inMexico since 2010, each of which examines issues related to crime and violence, judicial sector reform,and human rights in Mexico. The Drug Violence in Mexico report series examines patterns of crime andviolence attributable to organized crime, and particularly drug trafficking organizations in Mexico. Thisreport was authored by Kimberly Heinle, Cory Molzahn, and David A. Shirk, and builds on the work ofpast reports in this series. The report was formally released on April 29, 2015 and was made possible bythe generous support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. This report does notrepresent the views or opinions of the University of San Diego or the sponsoring organization.

Slow economic growth has characterised Mexico’s economic performance for much of the past decade. Taking office in December 2012, the government of Enrique Peña Nieto set out to boost Mexico’s competitiveness with a package of structural reforms affecting a number of sectors, including energy, telecommunications, tax, labour and education. The package’s most eye-catching component was a constitutional reform designed to end decades of state monopoly in the oil and gas sector and attract investment from major international oil companies. Though low oil prices and a degree of nervousness over the potential effects of monetary tightening in the US have dampened initial investor and market enthusiasm over the reforms, the outlook for the Mexican economy remains stable, with demand from the US expected to support Mexican activity, despite low domestic demand and business confidence.

The best country-by-country assessment of human rights. The human rights records of more than ninety countries and territories are put into perspective in Human Rights Watch's signature yearly report. Reflecting extensive investigative work undertaken by Human Rights Watch staff, in close partnership with domestic human rights activists, the annual World Report is an invaluable resource for journalists, diplomats, and citizens, and is a must-read for anyone interested in the fight to protect human rights in every corner of the globe.

The study edition of book the Los Angeles Times called, "The most extensive review of U.S. intelligence-gathering tactics in generations." This is the complete Executive Summary of the Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation into the CIA's interrogation and detention programs -- a.k.a., The Torture Report. Based on over six million pages of secret CIA documents, the report details a covert program of secret prisons, prisoner deaths, interrogation practices, and cooperation with other foreign and domestic agencies, as well as the CIA's efforts to hide the details of the program from the White House, the Department of Justice, the Congress, and the American people. Over five years in the making, it is presented here exactly as redacted and released by the United States government on December 9, 2014, with an introduction by Daniel J. Jones, who led the Senate investigation. This special edition includes: • Large, easy-to-read format. • Almost 3,000 notes formatted as footnotes, exactly as they appeared in the original report. This allows readers to see obscured or clarifying details as they read the main text. • An introduction by Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones who led the investigation and wrote the report for the Senate Intelligence Committee, and a forward by the head of that committee, Senator Dianne Feinstein.