As Latin America shifts left, U.S. risks being left behind
As Latin America shifts left, U.S. risks being left behind
The Bush administration’s focus on Iraq and the war on terrorism has led to a foreign policy devoid of a sophisticated understanding of diverse regional challenges beyond the Middle East. Meanwhile, Latin America has been moving to the political left through the ballot box with policy implications largely misunderstood by American policy-makers. Furthermore, in the few instances when administration pronouncements are articulated, they seem to miss the point and may in fact aggravate the increasingly tenuous relationship with the neighbors to the south. In light of recent global upheavals, the United States needs a coherent Latin American policy cognizant of the region’s geographic proximity and major contending issues including the drug war, immigration, energy and trade.
Over the last three years, leftist leaders have been elected to office in a number of critically important countries including Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela. And, the leftist candidate, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, is leading in the polls for Mexico’s July presidential election. It is also expected that Chilean Socialist Michelle Bachelet will handily win the January presidential runoff. And in Sunday’s election results in Bolivia, Evo Morales won the presidency. Morales is a politician aligned with radical indigenous sectors that include coca grower organizations, and he challenges the legitimacy of foreign companies in Bolivia.
More: chron.com