Latin America Welcomes Barak Obama, but Expectations are High

This week our colleagues who study Latin America at CSIS issued a press briefing on President Obama’s Saturday trip to Latin America. Many Latin Americanists have taken to commenting on how this trip might change the shape of US policy towards Latin America focusing on a region of the world that has to compete with news on the Middle East and Asia this week. Despite this, Mr. Obama’s focus on what once was seen as America’s backyard is a long overdue re-negotiation of the US-Latin American relationship or could result in a continued malaise on the region while it fights the War on Terror and the War on Tsunamis.

Issues focused on by the CSIS team as well as other policy writers has centered around a few key issues and locations Barak Obama will be visiting in his trip to Latin America and first trip as President to Brazil. Mr. Obama will likely focus this first trip as a session to get to know the personalities and leaders in the region beyond their normal strategic partners in Colombia and Mexico. This trip will take Obama to Central America, Chile and Brazil, all different and diverse parts of Latin America that would benefit from stronger ties with the United States, for locals in those countries and even for Americans.

One region that will offer a host of complicated issues is that of Central America. With the CAFTA trade agreement also comes the issues of immigration and drug trafficking as links with Colombia and Mexican cartels often permeate into the Central American region. Many Central American countries have large expat communities within the United States and Central Americans are a growing and significant immigrant community in the United States. This community, especially Salvadorans, and will only grow over time as first and second generations of American citizens with Central American descent become rooted in American society

Chile has become well respected and known over the last while for the major earthquake that took place near Concepcion as well as their heroic and patriotic rescue of their miners last September which captured the attention of the world media, and those in the US as well. Chile is a nation that has sought to refine trade agreements and build to become what one CSIS expert calls “an advanced economy” by 2018. Chile is seen as one of Latin America’s wealthiest nations and could form an quad of stability between similar countries in the Americas like Canada, the US and Brazil. It would be important for Mr. Obama to befriend this future stable economy in the region. What also should be noted and respected in the President’s visit is to be aware and take care of Chile’s past, where the US was seen to be heavily involved in the Pinochet regime and to avoid being seen as an extension of the “Chicago Boys” who were prominent in establishing Pinochet’s economic policy and were tied to the University of Chicago. It likely will not be an issue on what is mostly seen as this preliminary trip, but mending the past might offer greater ties between Pinera and Obama and it is the best way to ensure a stable future.

The big cookie on this trip is Brazil. Recently the Southern Cone has become infused with Chinese investment. Traditionally this region of Latin America has divided its trade between Europe and the United States and has never become a sole trading partner with the US like America’s strategic allies. With Brazil as the BRIC everyone wants to befriend and a strong 7.5% growth rate announced by Brazil’s Finance Minister recently the US could benefit greatly with increased trade and ties with Brazil. One expert points out that Brazil seems to be engineered to run not so much on the liberalisation of trade, but is seeking many partnerships in commerce as well as R+D development in the private sector but also to supplement its PAC and PAC2 infrastructure building program where many foreign investors could benefit from greatly. The focus on building greater ties with Brazil as a rising giant and trade and development partner is clear, as Mr. Obama will attend a commercial conference upon his arrival in Brazil. This personal focus on Brazil when much of the world begs for the President’s attention will not only form strong ties between President Rousseff but could form a barrier against non-Americas economic interests in the region and place the newly elected President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, and President Obama on the same page as politically they likely have a lot in common. Today the UN Security Council with Brazil neglect has voted to respond on Libya, most likely such international issues that Brazil will become a major part of will now have a stronger partner with Mr. Obama and Madam Rousseff speaking in person about such sensitive international issues and the position of their respective countries on how to deal with conflict in the Middle East and environmental disasters in Asia and especially in Haiti.

The personal touch, and the overall general positive impression Latin America has of Mr. Obama might just require a visit to change America’s reputation of ignoring Latin America to one where Latin America takes the stage when so many other places absorb the attention. Likely one trip will not change the world, but it might do the trick in forming relations between countries who’s destiny will be to indeed change the world in a positive way.

To see the CSIS Press Release, please find the discussion video in the link here.