"VENUSTIANO CARRANZA, Mexico -- To the Mexican people, one of the great achievements in their history was the day their president kicked out foreign oil companies in 1938. Thus, they celebrate March 18 as a civic holiday.
Yet today, that 72-year-old act has put Mexico in a straitjacket, one that threatens both the welfare of the country and the oil supply of the United States.
The national oil company created after the 1938 seizure, Pemex, is entering a period of turmoil. Oil production in its aging fields is sagging so rapidly that Mexico, long one of the world's top oil-exporting countries, could begin importing oil within the decade."
Clifford Krauss and Elisabeth Malkin report for the New York Times March 8, 2010.
"Mexico's Oil Politics Keeps Riches Just Out of Reach"
Source: NYTimes, 03/09/2010