Anybody want to talk about Latin America?

By Peter Schechter Saturday, 06 December 2008 22:13

Like many administrations before, President Barack Obama’s government will come into power with the best intentions towards our hemispheric neighbors in Latin America.   But, as before, urgencies in the Middle East, Russia and trans-Atlantic relations will relegate Latin America to the diplomatic backburner. 

As Venezuela’s navy prepares for first-time military exercises with Russian warships, it would behoove our country to reconsider the strategic importance of our neighboring hemisphere.  Trade, immigration, drugs and now Russo-American relations are see-sawing on the Latin American fulcrum. Don’t underestimate Russia’s intentions in our neighborhood. 

Despite the inevitably too few moments it will dedicate to Latin America, our new government has the ability to transform our relations with our neighbors in five immediate steps.  Here’s how:

• Cuba.  The 47 year-old failed Cuba policy needs to be taken off the table.  Now that Florida is a blue state, how about the immediate, unilateral lifting of all trade sanctions against Cuba?  This does not mean full diplomatic relations; that can come when the Castro brothers – political dinosaurs from faraway times – are gone. But an honest look in the mirror would convince us that our policy towards Cuba belongs to a similarly Mesozoic era.  There may have been a time when sanctions against Cuba were grounded in meaning. Today they are a distraction that slowly saps the strength of our arguments in the region. 
  
• Venezuela.  Words and actions have consequences.  Venezuela’s open support of FARC guerrillas in next-door Colombia is inexcusable. Further, Chavez has moved his deeply anti-American rhetoric to openly hostile action by being the first Latin American leader to host joint exercises with the Russian military. In a newfound proof of internet mobility and citizen action, American consumers - not Marines – could show our displeasure with Venezuela when the new U.S. President expresses his “understanding” for a citizen’s boycott of all Citgo gas stations.  Citgo is a wholly owned subsidiary of Venezuela’s government-owned oil company.  If consumers organized spontaneously for dolphin-free tuna, why not do the same for Chavez-free gas consumption in America? 
  
• Colombia. The Free Trade agreement (FTA) can’t be swept away – it needs to be passed.  Americans must not forget that this long democracy has been our closest friend in the region for over 25 years.  Colombians have been at the front lines in our drug war – their police, politicians and journalists are the first to be killed in the battle to clear America’s streets of narcotics. With this history, how do we explain an FTA for Peru but not Colombia?  In the process, the Obama Administration has every right to demand specifics regarding the safety and security of Colombia’s unions and their members. Instituting political, legal and financial guarantees that ensure greater protections for Colombian workers could convince a reluctant US Congress.
  
• Mexico. Twenty years ago, it took concerted pressure and assistance to awaken Colombia from its state of denial about the pernicious effect of narcotics.  Mexico now needs similar help.  But this type of gringo advice is usually unwanted.  Unless, of course, it is tied-at-the-hip to the one issue all Mexicans agree on: respect and compassion for the millions of immigrant Mexicans in the United States.  An Obama-led comprehensive U.S. immigration reform would be a big enough political hook in Mexico to provide its leaders with an incentive to move with heightened speed to extradite drug kingpins to the United States and revamp corrupt police forces.
  
• Brazil.  With nearly 180 million people, Brazil should be America’s closest regional ally.  Yet it isn’t.  Even under the relatively friendly hand of President Luiz Ignacio Lula, Brazil and the United States remain distant.  Climate change could bring the two countries together.  No policy exerts greater damage to the world’s poor than our corn subsidies for ethanol production.  It is responsible for skyrocketing food prices. These subsidies should end immediately and our trade door flung open to Brazilian technologies for sugar and cellulosic ethanol. Brazilians years ago perfected the technologies to produce these cheaper, cleaner, more abundant and non food competitive bio-fuels.  Brazilian-American business joint ventures and academic working groups will pop immediately to life, furthering the future of bio-fuels.

There is much that can be done.  Is anybody listening?