In this special edition on North America of the Revista Mexicana de Política Exterior, the reader will find a multidisciplinary and multinational perspective that addresses the different economic, social and political factors that influence the deepening of regional integration and that seeks to shed light on the challenges and the opportunities to consolidate or expand this process that was formalized with the signing of NAFTA.

In December 2008, the Mexican Foreign Ministry celebrated the 120th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation between Mexico and Japan. Within the framework of the commemoration "One hundred and twenty years of friendship between Mexico and Japan", and in order to highlight some of its most relevant aspects, issue 86 of the Revista Mexicana de Política Exterior deals, from different perspectives, with the relationship between these two countries in four articles by distinguished officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and academics from prestigious institutions.

In this issue of the Revista Mexicana de Política Exterior, the diverse conceptions that shape cultural and public diplomacy are exposed, both in its theoretical and practical aspects, emphasizing the experiences and proposals of diplomatic experts and academic specialists. The volume aims to discuss the relationships between foreign policy and concepts such as soft power, nation branding, cultural cosmopolitanism, cultural cooperation and exchange, cultural industries, media, propaganda, and celebrity diplomacy, among others. The conception of this special number was made thinking of four parts: a substantial one with foundational theoretical debates and in-depth empirical reflections; a circumstantial and thematic one, with contemporary debates and plural positions; a third, which is an interview with Ambassador Jorge Alberto Lozoya, one of the most important promoters of these diplomatic forms in our country, and finally a fourth, in which three reviews of recent books are collected, which deal with these issues.

The Revista Mexicana de Política Exterior issue 84 presents a wide range of articles that reflect on and analyze current issues relevant to Mexico's foreign policy and its international relations, such as the specific role of the lobbyist in the United States, Latin American integration, the crisis of Haiti, the minor operators of Mexican diplomacy in the 19th century, the 41st anniversary of the Treaty of Tlatelolco, the harmony that exists between Mexico and Africa, and the role that Mexico and the UNHCR have played in the defense of refugees.

Issue 83 of the Revista Mexicana de Política Exterior offers the reader an illustrative journey through Latin America today. Its pages deal with various aspects of the transformations that Latin American countries are experiencing on the long road towards the full exercise of democracy and the complex process of its consolidation in all areas of the life of a nation. Likewise, the challenges that the region faces in terms of political and economic integration between the countries themselves, as well as between them and the global scenario, are highlighted.

The Middle East is probably the most troubled region on the planet. In this issue of the Revista Mexicana de Política Exterior, Mexico's bilateral relations with some of the main nations in the area are reviewed and the various levels of linkage reached in the political, economic, commercial and cultural spheres are pointed out; the armed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is analysed, from various perspectives; elements based on Persian-Iranian history and culture are provided to motivate a more complete and objective understanding of contemporary Iran; se, analyzes attempts to rebuild Afghanistan; the international legal order is reflected on the "war against terrorism"; and the performance of Uruguay in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is described.

The Revista Mexicana de Política Exterior, dedicated to the borders of Mexico, has the collaboration of distinguished researchers and experts, who contribute, through valuable reflections, to a better understanding of the current border reality.

As a whole, the Revista Mexicana de Política Exterior issue 79-80 provides a vision and analysis of contemporary phenomena present in international relations, such as Internet governance and the multistakeholder principles of the global information society, nanotechnologies and the tourism. Likewise, three essays are included that address issues as relevant to Mexico as the Asia-Pacific region, political parties in Latin America, and the Andean Community.

Issue 78 of the Revista Mexicana de Política Exterior concludes the topic started in the previous issue on Mexico's participation in the codification of international law. The six essays that make it up underline as a whole the importance that international law has had in the very conception of our country's foreign policy.

The Revista Mexicana de Política Exterior dedicates issue 76-77 to Mexico's participation in the codification of international law, whose dynamism in recent years is widely reflected in the subjects or issues discussed in this volume. The foregoing confirms the commitment of the Matías Romero Institute to present a substantive analysis of contemporary issues in Mexico's foreign policy.

The Revista Mexicana de Política Exterior dedicates its 75th issue to the issue of multilateral disarmament negotiations, an issue that has enormous significance in the globalized world that characterizes the development of each country, region and hemisphere. The international community, as well as governments, remains alert to the dangers that threaten it and demands immediate solutions. This explains the numerous multilateral negotiations that are carried out to regulate, curb and eradicate the use of the multiple and sophisticated types of weapons that nations have to guarantee their security and power.

The content of issue 74 of the Revista Mexicana de Política Exterior is somewhat eclectic, the topics covered are twinning between cities, the Holy See, Russia and Vladimir Putin, the Mexican presence in North Africa, the European Union, the remittances that migrants send their relatives, Nigeria, the African Union, Africa and Latin America, foreign policy and the internal conflict in Russia, international relations in Mexico and Spanish immigration policy.