Protest and Human Rights Networks: The Case of the Zapatista Movement

The Zapatistas gained political access due in part to Mexico's efforts to participate and sustain its position in the world economy. This goal demanded greater sensitivity to the call for democratic openness by the human rights community, anti–North American Free Trade Agreement groups, and indigenous rights organizations. Mexico's effort to bolster its record on human rights internationally created a political opening for the Zapatista protest. The Zapatistas' network of support created a situation where it was able to force the government to constrain their traditional military policy towards popular movements. This is in part due to the need to placate financial and human rights interests in Mexico and internationally. However, the tactics used by paramilitary groups and low-intensity measures taken by the military to deal with the Zapatistas were not under similar constraints, leaving space for their liberal application.