Marifeli Perez-Stable

Published in The Miami Herald

March 17, 2005

Latin America should be a priority for the United States but isn’t really. Yes, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice took a one-day trip to Mexico City on March 10 and is using her office to call attention to the plight of the region’s poor. Yes, the United States sees Brazil as a full partner in the still elusive Free Trade Area of the Americas. Yes, Assistant Secretary Roger Noriega’s ”four pillars” — strengthening democratic institutions, promoting a prosperous region, investing in people and bolstering security — are a sound base for U.S. policy.

But the parts do not add up to a whole. Before Secretary Rice’s trip, U.S. government officials had ruffled Mexican feathers with blunt comments on drug-related crime, border insecurity, human-rights violations and possible political instability. Though she artfully smoothed Mexican sensibilities, Rice mostly focused on the agenda for the meeting on March 23 when President Bush will host Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin at his Crawford ranch. Immigration — Fox’s main issue — is not at the top of Washington’s list. Security simply trumps all other concerns for the Bush administration.

Rice’s empathy for Latin America’s poor is sincere. Improving their lot is a different matter altogether. Only Haiti, Nicaragua, Honduras, Bolivia and Paraguay could benefit from the administration’s Millennium Challenge Account, which is reserved for the poorest countries worldwide. Latin American countries themselves are primarily responsible for their economic well- or ill-being.

In 2003, Chile — a Latin American showcase of sustained growth and poverty reduction — signed a free-trade agreement with the United States but without the fanfare of a presidential ceremony in the White House. Instead, it was a ministerial signing in Miami. Chile had not supported the United States on Iraq, and the Bush administration opted for symbolic retribution over showcasing a success story.

The FTAA may yet happen. After a year of stalling, the United States and Brazil met February 22-23 and will meet again March 29-30. A meeting of the full FTAA negotiations committee will likely be set for May. On March 5, the World Trade Organization ruled in favor of Brazil regarding U.S. cotton subsidies. How the ruling will affect the FTAA is not yet clear. Brazil now plans to submit a WTO complaint against European sugar subsidies. A successful outcome at the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations later this year hinges partly on U.S.-Brazil cooperation on agricultural subsidies.

At face value, Noriega’s four pillars are sound. However, they carry two dangers:

o The United States fails to realize that consolidating democracy, fostering prosperity and investing in people are largely national charges.

o Latin America fails to meet these charges. The history of U.S. intervention in Latin America is not a happy one. Hugo Chávez, Fidel Castro and, if elected in Nicaragua next year, Daniel Ortega are a nightmare that could turn hellish were Washington to raise the baton but forget to gather the orchestra.

Bush is unloved in Latin America. In few countries could U.S. embassies have held a mock ballot last Nov. 2, as the U.S. Interests Section in Havana did, where Bush received 83 percent of the 105 votes cast. In the 1990s, perceptions of the United States improved markedly, and President Clinton left office with the highest approval ratings since John F. Kennedy. The first President Bush — whose Latin American policy is worth emulating — was also held in high esteem.

But this President Bush and the growing number of center-left governments in Latin America are facts of life. Much ground needs to be trekked for the parts to add up to a whole. Jorge Montaño — Mexican ambassador in Washington from 1993 to 1995 recently noted that the United States says it wants partners but really expects employees. That is a fair assessment of the historical relationship between the United States and Latin America. A full partnership requires truly changed mind-sets on both sides.