The continuing focus on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East has left other regions of the world such as Latin America in the background of media coverage, panelists argued in a discussion Monday night at the John Sloan Dickey Center.
The discussion, titled "The neglected Hemisphere? U.S. foreign policy in Latin America," examined the extent to which the United States has neglected Latin American countries and such neglect might entail.
Government professor Lisa Baldez argued that the United States continues to play a major role in the region.
"U.S. foreign policy affects everything that I can think of in Latin America," Baldez said.
According to Baldez, to claim that the U.S. foreign policy objectives in Latin America have been met is to overlook centuries of conflict and oversimplify the economic and political situation in the region. Baldez explained that such a claim stems from the establishment of relatively stable democratic governments and the temporary lull in military engagement.
While U.S. policy has fueled profound resentment in Latin American countries, U.S. intervention can have positive effects too, Baldez explained.
She cited Mexico and Cuba as two examples, in which U.S. policies have "fueled the spirit of resistance," and "consolidated revolutionary projects." In both countries, the U.S. has facilitated the process of national identity creation and has reinforced nationalism.
Baldez also examined the contradictory nature of U.S. policies in Bolivia. On the one hand, the United States government has been promoting the participation of women in the government by organizing workshops and conferences. On the other hand, a 2001 executive order prevents U.S. funding to go to any international organization that promotes abortion or that encourages any public discussion of the issue.
Panelist John Cope, senior research fellow at the Institute for Strategic Studies, debunked the notion that the United States has neglected the region. Because of the media's focus on the Middle East, U.S. involvement in other parts of the world has been misrepresented.
Cope asserted that the U.S. government is aware of Latin America's importance. He numbered several reasons such as the growing number of U.S. exports and investments in the region, as well as the need for political support on issues such as drug trafficking and terrorism. In addition, he argued that the United States wants to avoid political or economic crises in any Latin American country because such instabilities would increase the flow of immigrants to the United States.
Cope attributed the economic and political hardships that many Latin American countries face to the inability to keep up with the fast pace of globalization. Weak governance, corruption, democratic empowerment without the trust in democracy are difficulties that are yet to be overcome, Cope said.
The United States' main policy objective in Latin America is to have "a region that is peaceful, stable, prosperous, and reliable, plus well-governed," he said.