Inter-American affairs

Posted: July 8, 2003

The presidents of four of the five members of the Andean Group -- Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, joined by Brazil as a special invitee -- met in Rio Negro, Colombia last weekend. President Toledo of Peru canceled his trip because of the political crisis at home. There was heavy security presence to deter terrorist acts by guerrillas who are active in this part of the country. They discussed how to increase trade flow with each other, as the region continues to struggle with the economic crisis.

Posted: June 26, 2003

Last Saturday, the Washington Post had a lengthy analysis of the political tumult that has been sweeping the Andean region in recent months, as depicted on the above map. Will Washington finally wake up to the security threat that is brewing in our own hemisphere? As you will see in the following news items, in each of the countries, leftists, workers, and Indian groups are demanding radical shift in economic policy, raising the possibility that this may be an orchestrated campaign. Narcotics traffickers may be playing a behind-the-scenes role in the protests.

Posted: June 17, 2003

Foreign ministers of the Organization of American States met in Santiago, Chile, last week, passing a vague resolution in support of strengthening democracy in the region. Colin Powell had asked for a strong resolution explicitly calling on Cuba to take steps toward democratization, but widespread anti-U.S. sentiment blocked his initiative. Nevertheless, OAS observers will travel to Cuba and Haiti in the near future. The OAS summit also issued a veiled warning to Venezuela.

Posted: May 21, 2003

A resolution condemning Cuba for its harsh treatment of political dissidents failed to garner a majority of votes in the Organization of American States. The resolution was sponsored by Canada, Chile, and Uruguay, but the was opposed by anti-American governments such as Argentina and Brazil. Cuba has been excluded from the OAS since 1962.

Posted: April 22, 2003

Foreign ministers from 19 Latin American nations met with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, calling for a quick end to the war in Iraq. Peru's Foreign Minister Allan Wagner led the "Rio Group." Putin hailed growing coopeation between Russia and Latin America.

Posted: December 31, 2002

Here is a hopeful note to end 2002, a year that saw most of Latin America sink back into the turbulence of decades past. Thanks to Glenn Reynolds' InstaPundit, I came across a UPI analysis by James C. Bennett who predicts that a "Hispanosphere" will coalesce over the next decade or two, following the example of United Europe. He envisions political-economic integration in Spanish America, which means not including Brazil. He writes:

Two trends have emerged in Latin America which, between them, may mark a permanent break with the past practices that have kept these regions in poverty. One is the relative opening of their economies to market forces, most fully in Chile, but also significantly in Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and elsewhere.

This opening is breaking down the cozy symbiosis between the political class and the economic monopolies, which has historically dominated Latin American societies. Observers such as Hernando de Soto, Mario Vargas Llosa and Claudio Veliz have all written extensively, from their various perspectives, on this phenomenon.

The other is the explosive, and mostly unnoticed growth of religious diversity, particularly in the form of evangelical Protestantism and the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons).

Interesting. When I visited Peru a few years ago, I told students that promoting economic ties with neighboring countries was absolutely essential for keeping up with the rest of the world. I think most Latin American people are realizing they must set aside their petty parochial differences and move on. I'm not about to preach to them about religion, however.