Reading history is a constant reminder that the world seems to be on a repetitive spin cycle of border conflicts, struggles for political power, and failed attempts at diplomacy. Over the past several years, the border between the United States and Mexico has been a never-ending source of quarrels. Some might think it began with Donald Trump's calls to build the wall, but as Jeff Guinn notes in his skillfully written history, WAR ON THE BORDER, Mexican-American relations have troubled both countries since their founding days.

In 1825, the first envoys of the young U.S. government were sent to Mexico City, the capital of newly independent Mexico. America’s southern neighbor had won her independence from Spain in 1821, and the two nations, each occupying 1.7 million square miles, shared a 2,400-mile border stretching from what is now Wyoming to Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico. Mexicans were initially surprised when the first diplomatic contact was an American offer to buy land in what is now the western United States.

"...[a] skillfully written history... WAR ON THE BORDER is a great place for readers to begin a study of the subject, which will lead them to other books that are as deeply researched as Guinn's."

Subsequent years would confirm Mexicans’ concern that the U.S. would capture land by whatever means necessary. By the early 20th century, more than half of the original Mexican nation now belonged to America, and Mexican citizens resented how their northern neighbor treated them.

In 1916, a charismatic leader named Pancho Villa was engaged in conflict with the Mexican government of Venustiano Carranza. Villa had been a friend of the U.S. and felt betrayed when President Woodrow Wilson supported Carranza. Recognizing the deep-seated animosity of Mexicans toward America, Villa sought to gain popular support by aggressive actions against the U.S.

Further complicating diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and Mexico was the ongoing war in Europe. Possible American intervention in that conflict was the outgrowth of the emergence of the U.S. as a world power. Germany rightly assumed that if America became involved in the European struggle, it would be on the side of England and France. The Germans hoped that an American military presence on the Mexican border would divert attention from a potential intervention in Europe. Secretary of State Robert Lansing warned President Wilson that the one thing Germany was hoping to maintain in Mexico was chaos. That chaos could be avoided by diplomatic recognition to one man in Mexico who could be trusted to get his country under control and take over the border. Wilson finally agreed and chose Carranza.

Both General John Pershing and the Texas Rangers are mentioned in the title of Guinn’s historical account, but they are not major players in the Mexican-American border conflict of 1916. Pershing pursued Villa in Mexico, but it was an unsuccessful campaign. The Texas Rangers, a revered Texas law enforcement organization presently undergoing a reevaluation of their role in Texas history, were involved at the border but not in sufficient numbers to influence the outcome of the diplomatic struggle.

WAR ON THE BORDER is a great place for readers to begin a study of the subject, which will lead them to other books that are as deeply researched as Guinn's. The history of the border between the U.S. and Mexico is a complex issue that remains relevant today as the two nations continue seeking resolution over centuries of disagreement.