Between Geopolitics and International Law: The Mexican Diplomacy on the Eve of the Winter War (1939-1940)

The following essay takes the Mexican diplomacy in the League of Nations on the eve of the Winter War as point of departure for a broader discussion of the challenges that “weak states” face in shaping their foreign and security policies. At the same time, the text aims to contextualize the dawn of the relationship between Mexico and Finland during the interwar period, in which the aggressive geopolitical doctrines of the world powers coexisted with the consolidation of international law. Beyond an act of pure altruism, Mexico’s attitude to the flagrant aggression must be read in light of its own complicated neighborhood with the United States.