英美博弈下墨西哥特万特佩克跨洋铁路的兴衰

The Rise and Fall of the Tehuantepec Railway in Mexico under the Anglo-American Competition

19世纪六七十年代,美国的经济和军事实力迅速壮大,出于经济利益和地缘政治的考量,美国越来越重视其在墨西哥的影响力。英国作为该地区的老牌霸主,面对美国的势力在墨西哥发展壮大自然不会坐视不管。此时又恰逢迪亚斯治下的墨西哥实行大力吸引外资的政策。因此,英美在墨西哥的竞争不可避免地增强。而双方在墨西哥特万特佩克地峡处开通大洋铁路问题上的较量则是这场大国博弈中最典型的案例。19世纪中后期,英美两国就这一项目的归属展开了激烈的博弈,虽然英国胜出,但是这直接导致了美国将战略目标转向巴拿马。最终在巴拿马运河的挤压下,特万特佩克铁路的重要性逐渐丧失,这也很大程度上加速了英国在墨西哥,甚至在整个美洲地区的势力走向没落。

In the 1860s and 1870s,the United States was rapidly expanding its economic and military power.For economic and geopolitical reasons,the United States increasingly valued its southern neighbor,Mexico.But as a traditional power in this region,undoubtedly Britain would not sit back and look unconcerned facing the growing power of the United States.And it coincided with that Mexico under Porfirio Diaz implemented the policy of attracting foreign investment.Therefore,Anglo-American competition in Mexico inevitably increased.The competition between them for a channel that connected the Pacifie and Atlantic Ocean in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec was a typical case in the game between these great powers.Although Britain won the battle of Tehuantepec Railroad,this directly led the United States to reverse their strategy to Panama.And under the pressure of the Panama Canal,the importance of the Tehuantepec gradually disappeared.Such decline also accelerated the falling of British political and economic power in Mexico and even in Latin America.