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US-Latin American Relations In Downturn Since 9/11, says Latin America Expert
Washington, January 21, 2004 --There has been a clear deterioration of relations between the United States and Latin America since the September 11, 2001 attacks, Peter Hakim, president of Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based center for policy analysis, told the spring 2004 IRP Fellows and SAIS students.
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Peter Hakim |
Hakim cited several reasons for this downturn in relations. One is economics, and a growing unhappiness in the region as economies stagnate for the fifth consecutive year. Many Latin Americans perceive the Bush administration as indifferent to the economic hardships in Latin America, Hakim said. Critics in Latin Americans fault the Bush administration for its tepid response to Argentina's economic collapse, and a slow U.S. response to Mexican proposals on migration, two and a half years after Mexico first raised the issue.
For its part, says Hakim, the U.S. was surprised after September 11 when Mexico did not respond more sympathetically to an attack on U.S. soil. "They expected a big abrazo (embrace) and were surprised when they didn't get it," said Hakim.
The Iraq war further exacerbated tensions between the U.S. and its southern neighbors. Because of its history, "Latin America is very concerned with U.S. unilateralism and the intense U.S. focus on security issues," Hakim said. He said that 80 percent of Latin Americans opposed the Iraq war, and Security Council members Mexico and Chile announced they opposed the U.S. move into Iraq, further outraging Washington.
Hakim said the January 2004 Summit of the Americas at Monterrey began to address issues of concern to Latin America, but was hampered by Brazil's insistence that trade be removed from the agenda. In Hakim's view, that was a major mistake.
In order for the relationship, and summits like Monterrey, to be effective, Hakim said leaders must return trade to the table. "It certainly is a political, not just and economic question." When the subject of trade is excluded, it tends to "creep in everywhere," Hakim said. He added that Latin America also needs to promote its own proposals to the U.S. -- as Mexico did on migration -- and not simply react defensively to American plans, as Brazil did when the U.S. announced that all foreigners would be fingerprinted.
Copyright © 2005 International Reporting Project. All Rights Reserved.