Even a cursory survey of recent developments in Latin America should sound enough alarm in Washington. Decades of US policy imperatives are being re-examined and, in many places, rejected by the countries of the region. In many of these countries, the United States does not currently have an ambassador. That should be unacceptable to anyone interested in US relations with our closest neighbors.
Here are some of the issues that deserve attention.
The Left is growing again in Latin America. Left-wing presidents in many countries with free trade agreements with the United States are trying to remove market-oriented neoliberal economic policies and reach old state policy prescriptions. How will American businesses be affected? The fact that the new Left is neither monolithic nor ideologically homogeneous is precisely why the United States needs senior leaders in the capital of every country with which we have diplomatic relations.
Recently inaugurated Colombian President Gustavo Petro, insisting that the drug war has failed, is considering the decriminalization of coca derivatives. Where does this leave US anti-narcotics efforts?
The ad hoc coalition known as the Lima Group, formed by militias to restore democracy in Venezuela, has essentially collapsed. Mexico and others have said they no longer support isolating the Maduro regime as Colombia’s Petro restored diplomatic relations and renewed trade ties. Russia is conducting military exercises in Venezuela.
Is democracy still important in the region? Can US sanctions on Venezuela be effective without the cooperation of the rest of Latin America and given the Chinese, Russian, Indian and Iranian support for the regime in Caracas? The Organization of American States (OAS) has passed resolutions condemning the repression in Venezuela, but, at the national level, most of the countries in the region have just shrugged off the country’s democracy. collapsed
In Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro, who is lagging behind in the polls, has cast aspersions on the country’s electoral system. In recent months, he has insisted that there are only three possibilities for his future: re-election, prison or death. National elections will be held in October. Will Brazilian institutions carry the day? Whatever the outcome, the United States needs senior representation in the country both to convey Washington’s views to Brasilia and to ensure Washington understands what is happening on the ground and why.
In Haiti, heavily armed criminal gangs control much of the country and a former US ambassador has claimed that diplomacy has failed and some international intervention may be needed. What is the US position? What role are we ready to play in helping to resolve the current crisis?
In Nicaragua, longtime strongman Daniel Ortega shuts down critics and suppresses the media. He even seeks to muzzle the Catholic Church. Do we care? What are the US options? The United States has already cut aid to the Nicaraguan government and sanctioned several members of the Ortega family and key supporters.
In Peru, neophyte leftist President Pedro Castillo looks increasingly unable to govern effectively and has now gone through more than sixty cabinet ministers in just over a year in office. Even worse, Castillo and his wife are being investigated for corruption.
On the southern border of the United States, a record number of undocumented migrants have arrived in Texas and the administration seems neither able nor willing to secure the border. In South America, the millions of Venezuelans who have fled their country threaten to overwhelm social services in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and elsewhere. How will stemming the flow of undocumented workers and asylum seekers into the United States—or not—impact our own domestic politics and ties to the region?
In June, at the Summit of the Americas hosted by the United States in Los Angeles, a triennial meeting held under the auspices of the OAS, the Biden administration announced programs designed to address the causes of irregular migration and manage the flow of people. Unfortunately, none of the countries that generate the majority of undocumented migrants trying to enter the United States were present.
The United States needs to get serious about the Western Hemisphere and that means doing more than announcing foreign aid programs that may or may not survive congressional hearings. China has replaced the United States as the main trading partner for many countries in the region, but thousands of American companies are active in Latin America and the Caribbean. Millions of American jobs depend on trade with the Western Hemisphere. Illegal drugs smuggled from Latin America continue to cost thousands of American lives.
Trade, migration and the fight against illegal drugs are all perennial problems for the United States, but they are not the only issues that should concern US politicians. After the disappointment and acrimony of the recent Summit of Americas, some leaders of the region quietly entertain the idea that the premises on which many of the institutions of the inter-American system are built must be revisited. There is still no permanent representative of the United States confirmed to the OAS. What does it matter.
The Biden administration has an experienced team running the State Department’s Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs, but that’s not enough. To ensure that the views of the United States are understood, the administration needs to get qualified and experienced ambassadors in a whole series of key countries. Currently, there are no ambassadors in Brazil, Colombia, Panama, Dominican Republic, Haiti and many other capitals. The president’s special envoy for Haiti resigned in frustration nearly a year ago and has yet to be replaced.
Both the White House and the US Senate share responsibility for this business disaster. For several key countries, the White House has not even nominated ambassador candidates. For the countries for which the administration has announced nominations, as in the case with the northern triangle of Central America, the Senate needs to move quickly to confirm the candidates deemed appropriate and qualified. Allowing long-term diplomatic vacancies does not advance the interests of the United States and sends a message of indifference to countries that are important to our well-being and prosperity.
Patrick Duddy is a retired senior foreign service officer. During a long diplomatic career, he served in eight countries in the Western Hemisphere. His last overseas assignment was as the United States ambassador to Venezuela. He is currently a senior advisor for Global Affairs at Duke University and the director of the Duke Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
What is the difference between Latin American and South America?
South America is the southern part of the American continent where you can find countries like Argentina, Brazil and Chile. South America is not defined by language or culture, but by its borders. Latin America is characterized by a commonality between the elements of historical experience, language and culture.
Is South America considered Latin America? Latin America is generally understood as the entire continent of South America in addition to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean islands whose inhabitants speak a Romance language. On the same subject : FACT SHEET – US Defense Contributions to Europe> US Department of Defense> Release.
What is the difference between America and South America?
The term America (or the Americas) refers to all the lands in the Western Hemisphere, including the continents of North America and South America. (Central America is actually part of the North American continent.) The United States of America, or U.S.A., is a country in North America.
Why South America is called Latin America?
The region consists of people who speak Spanish, Portuguese and French. Read also : What does the US need in its South Pacific strategy?. These languages (along with Italian and Romanian) developed from Latin in the days of the Roman Empire and the Europeans who speak them are sometimes called “Latins”. Hence the term Latin America.
What is the difference between Latin America Central America and South America?
The seven Central American countries are Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. To see also : Ecuadorian Independence Day – United States Department of State. Latin America is a much broader term, and includes Central America and Mexico and all the countries of South America.
How many countries are in Latin America?
There are 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean today, according to the United Nations. The full list is shown in the table below, along with the current population and subregion (based on official United Nations statistics).
What countries exist in Latin America? South America
- Argentina.
- Bolivia.
- Brazil.
- Chile.
- Colombia.
- Ecuador.
- French Guiana (department of France)
- Guyana.
What are the 14 countries in Latin America?
The continent as a whole includes twelve sovereign states: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela; two dependent territories: the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; and an internal territory: French Guiana.
What are the 33 Latin countries?
The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, founded in 1948 and originally called the Economic Commission for Latin America ECLA, included Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, Dominica, the Dominican Republic , Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, …
What are the 16 Latin American countries?
Includes 21 countries or territories: Mexico in North America; Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama in Central America; Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay in South America; and Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico…
What country is not in Latin America?
Suriname is not part of Latin America, which probably sounds surprising since it is located in South America. Latin America consists of the islands of the Romance-speaking Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and the entire continent of South America.
Which country is not in South America? About South America is divided politically into 12 independent countries – Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela – and the overseas department of French Guiana. The continent extends c.
What are the 14 countries in Latin America?
The continent as a whole includes twelve sovereign states: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela; two dependent territories: the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; and an internal territory: French Guiana.
Is Brazil not Latin America?
Geographically and organizationally, Brazil is considered part of Latin America.
Is it OK to say Latin America?
We have come to realize that “Latin America” is a very broad and imprecise name for a very diverse continent of twenty nations. It’s true, everyone speaks Spanish except Haiti, which uses French, and Brazil, whose 44 million inhabitants (a third of all Latin Americans) speak Portuguese.
Why do we say Latin America? The region consists of people who speak Spanish, Portuguese and French. These languages (along with Italian and Romanian) developed from Latin during the times of the Roman Empire and the Europeans who speak them are sometimes called “Latins”. Hence the term Latin America.
What is a Latin American called?
A Latino/a or Hispanic person can be any race or color. In general, “Latino” is understood as shorthand for Latin American Spanish (or Latin American Portuguese) and refers to (almost) anyone born in or with ancestors from Latin America and living in the United States , including Brazilians.
Is it politically correct to say Hispanic or Latino?
When talking about people of Latin American descent in the United States, you can usually use Latino (or Latina for a woman). Hispanic is also correct if you are speaking to someone who speaks Spanish. But if you value your life, never say that a Brazilian is Hispanic. Brazilians are very offended and rightly so.
