Obama's Strategic Approach to Latin America
Sarah Stephens, Director of the Center for Democracy in the Americas, got this fantastic clip of Barack Obama speaking about US policy towards Latin America at the TC Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia -- and made some apt comments about Cuba and Venezuela.
This is a great clip and an example of Barack Obama-style foreign policy that I strongly support. I just haven't heard much from him reflecting this kind of strategic sense of key factors and their synergies applied to other regions of the world.
But in this talk, he reiterates his intention to engage the world's tough leaders -- and mentions Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro as examples.
Obama emphasizes that we've been "neglecting" Latin America because of our distraction in Iraq -- and he's absolutely right. He weaves in China by suggesting that it is "sending the diplomats" and "building roads all throughout Latin America." Again, he's right on this.
In a perfect world I would have liked to hear him say that opening up travel with Cuba, and commerce, and exchange with Americans writ large -- engagement in its fullest sense -- would be the way to send a signal not only through Latin America but globally that America is ready to take a very different course in its relations with the entire world. The Cold War rages at its worst still in only one place and that is in US-Cuba relations. Even North Korea is rapidly thawing.
Furthermore, my own realist edge wants us to engage Cuba and Cubans -- for our interests -- as a warming on that front will put some speed bumps in the way of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez who has been trying to position himself as the inheritor of Fidel Castro's mantle in South and Central America.
Obama has been great on US-Cuba policy generally, so my hopes to hear more on this -- more regularly -- may be misplaced.
But it is useful to hear this kind of detail from Obama about foreign policy -- particularly his awareness of China's global charm offensive and of the costs of American distraction in the Middle East.
-- Steve Clemons publishes the popular political blog, The Washington Note
Comments for this post are now closed
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
.
The people of Latin America have been our neighbors since our country was founded. Maybe our cultures, language amd foods are different, but they are the folks who live next door, so we might as well befriend them.
Living in Florida exposes you to many of the Latin American people who have transplanted to the US. The one thing that I can attest to is that those I meet from South and Central America along with the Mexican immigrants are genuinely good hard working people who add to our community.
.
Obama has the right approach on this issue, no question. I do not agree with him when he assesses, from a one-sided perspective, the attempts to nationalize certain aspects of wealth and resources in some of the South American countries as wrong or bad.
When one considers the manner in which these countries have been pillaged by our own government via institutions like the World Bank and IMF, these counrtries' attempts at nationalizing these resources and refusing to allow themselves to be pillaged further seems reasonable, at least.
Steve Clemons is right on this issue. True democracy is more likely to unfold in Cuba after Castro's departure if there is a full and open relationship with the United States. Administrations of both parties used detente with the Soviet bloc to assist civil society forces in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary, and engage with those countries' alternative political voices. Vocal U.S. protests of human rights abuses by Soviet-era communist regimes went hand-in-hand with full diplomatic relations with those governments. Lifting sanctions against Cuba would deprive the Cuban regime of its prime reason for demonizing the U.S., and permitting private American social, cultural and economic involvement would help empower independent Cuban voices.
As for Hugo Chavez, Obama is right: He has all the instincts of an autocrat. An instinctively democratic leader does not send goons in the night to threaten oppositionists or try to suspend basic constitutional liberties. But Venezuela still remains a viable democracy, since Chavez acquiesced to losing the constitutional referendum -- something an unconstrained dictator would not have done. So "constructive engagement" (the term from the Clinton years) is the right path with Venezuela too.
I don't mean to be rude, but you don't know what you're talking about. Our nation has supported dictators in many countries, including those you mention, all of which squelched any sign of democracy in favor of economic gains for our own corporate interests.
South American countries are now starting to stand up to these economic piracies committed in our nation's name, under our nation's watchful eye, and so the leaders of those countries are being demonized in our corporate media.
Obama is again showing that he is a leader.
A good leader tells us where he wants us to go.
In this case diplomacy rather than military power or negotiations with almost impossible pre-conditions.
Like a wise leader he does not dvel in all the details and maintains the right to reassess the situation when he is the president.
The only thing we know for sure is that there is a great number of the unknown x's still to happen to make plan A or plan B obsolete.
Obama says "We will be full partners with Latin America, we will show them the respect they deserve..."
What a turnabout for US policy regarding our neighbors to the South. About damn time too.
You have a lot of nerve. He just threw Colombia under a bus. He attacked Uribe. Obama is not fit to be President.
Obama is not fit to be President of Columbia?? Is that what you are saying......I agree with you there. We expect a higher standard of living, from our Presidents in the US.
In Obama's Houston hq, they have the Cuban flag on the wall with Che Guevara's face on it. Be careful what you wish for, people! I'm not making this up.
He didn't even mention Uribe. Are you being sarcastic? I can't tell.
It's not the US's place to worry about the rest of the world.
Odd how the same people who want us out of iraq want us in Darfur.
We are a soverign nation, as are the many with whom we share the globe. Their business in not our business..
Moreover, unless the next president plans to pay for all these foriegn "give aways" out of their salary they shall not have my vote..
The US is not the world cop, get over it and life your own life...
The US isn't the world cop. The UN is. Unfortunately the US has been doing a pretty damn good job of fighting it.
Based on history I think that South Americans are happy to be neglected by the USA.i DON'T HEAR OF ANYONE complaining from S.A.about being neglected.
I notice that our lowered level of engagement with Latin America during our excellent Iraq adventure seems to be paying high dividends -- at least for Latin America.
Perhaps this is a case in point demonstrating that sometimes more can be gained by doing less.
Hugo Chavez is NOT a dictator. If Obama even insinuates so, he will lose my vote.
Chavez has given more power to the people than any leader in current history. His government is powered by the people. They took back the oil profits and eliminated illiteracy with them.
Contrary to the false reports, Venezuelans have more free speech rights than ever before.
The US needs to stop funding illegal coups and attempting to kill Chavez.
Hugo is happy to be neglected by the USA. He's not clamoring for attention and neither is anyone else there.
I think you should talk your threat to everybody else that is insinuating so. Have you stopped watching fox? turned off cnn and msnbc, boycotted the UN??
I'm sure for every vote he loses for his insinuating he gains 132.
South America is not our most important problem. Our major problem is the corruption in Mexico since in Mexico business controls the government. When business controls a government than the people in such an evil greedy state, are poorly served. During the last election in Mexico the Bushliveks went down there to make sure they're guy got elected and his opposition went to jail. Untill Bush and his followers are all in prison, there will be no positive outcome for the Mexican people or truly Patirotic Americans. The only real patiotic americans, want the bushliveks in prison.
One thing about this video clip is that is opiniated and has optimism. compared to hillary clinton earlier this week.. shes doing her best to pander to the latino vote but has she said anything about her immigration policy about ALL latin americans. ive seen obama on BET even talking about carribeans that come over or education visas that stand in the line with every other foreign person that wants to come over the legal way. the pandering will fall short to comments like this anyday and i hope this clip is shared beyond huffington post.
Obama needs to talk about La Familia in Texas. The mexican-american vote will end her campaign.
Are you kidding Mexican men generally have mistresses so if anything they would identify with Hillary's plight.
You have said positive things about the substance of Senator Obama's approach. You may be lonely out here for awhile. Don't let the deafening sound of the crickets discourage you. KEEP IT UP!
OBAMA '08...YEAH!!!!
Obama seems ready and willing to give more details on his policies. His site's 'Issues' section is full of them. However, the media and the populous have been responding most to inspiration, so I don't blame him for going around sprinkling hope like grass seeds on an unkempt lawn.
excerpted from: http://www.politicalmaelstrom.blogspot.com
Loading comments…
Posted February 14, 2008 | 03:11 AM (EST)