The influence of civil society in the democratization of intelligence, a slow pace process in Mexico?s democracy

The conceptualization and the practise of national security in the Mexico?s political dynamic during most of the twentieth century symbolized the security of the regime. Civil society as such was poorly developed. The intelligence services operated with a high level of discretion due to the absence of a legal framework preventing them being subject to any oversight.In this context, the right for access to information introduced by the first democratic transition government was a turning point. Isolated civil society efforts done before 2000 were empowered and their pressure for openness of the intelligence sector finally became feasible for the very first time in Mexico?s modern history.To date, the Centre for Investigation and National Security (the main national intelligence agency) seems to have taken off its image of political police and made considerable efforts to prevent human rights abuses. There are still massive opportunity areas. Mexico?s democratic transition aftermath could be the right time for civil society to continue pressuring and thus continuing helping in building the state institutions Mexico, as a global actor, needs.