“¿Que pasa, América Latina?”

On October 1, former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castañeda outlined the
challenges and opportunities currently faced by Latin
America. In conversation with Andres Martinez, the Director of New
America’s Bernard L. Schwartz Fellows Program, Mr. Castañeda discussed the
continent’s fraught attempts to develop a working framework for collective
action, even as its major players start to focus their attention on increasing
their clout on the global stage.

Brazil’s efforts to land the
Olympic bid for Rio are symptomatic of its current drive to escape its status
as an inverse version of Cuba
or Israel,
argued Castañeda. Despite its size and relative wealth, Brazil has consistently contrived
to punch well below its weight in
terms of international influence, and is now demanding the recognition it feels
it deserves. However, these efforts are fundamentally undermined by the
unwillingness Brazil
has displayed to take on the responsibilities that such recognition demands. On
local and international issues, it has been consistently mute, happy to take a
back seat to the Venezuelans as the continent’s leading voice. Brazil
"wants to be present, but doesn’t want to take sides," and as long as this is
the case, it will continue to be treated as a diplomatic non-entity.

In terms of regional politics, the current debacle in Honduras has provided what Castañeda
believes could be a valuable catalyst for the review of the Organization of
American States (OAS), the hemisphere’s current platform for collective action.
While the OAS provides a good means of improving the region’s collective
security, it needs to be firmer in response to destabilizing events such as the
Honduran coup. Castañeda laid out a potential set of improvements, insisting
that OAS cannot accept the legitimacy of a regime that has come to power by
force, even if it holds free and fair elections, unless the deposed government
is re-integrated into the proceedings. Holding up the example of the E.U., he
also suggested that agreements on trade and other issues should have human
rights and democracy clauses attached as a "regional principle."

As Latin America works to strengthen its internal relations, it will need
the support of a coherent U.S.
policy toward the continent. While the Obama administration has its heart in
the right place, diplomatic and political intransigence has left it with little
more than a fuzzy strategy of "atonement" toward the region. Taking a more
pro-active stance on normalizing relations with Cuba,
even without a quid-pro-quo, would reap political dividends for America
both at home and abroad. This would simultaneously allow it to take a tougher
stance towards the Chavez regime. In doing so, it could prize apart the access
that currently exists between the two and make way for a less polarized
geopolitical atmosphere.

Objectively speaking, the
continent is in fine health. For the first time in decades, most governments in
the area are run by what Castañeda describes as "good teams." The expansion of
the continent’s middle classes in recent years has been nothing short of
remarkable, and the impact of the financial crisis has been less severe than
anticipated. The conditions are ripe for a meaningful shift forward — can Latin America deliver?

Participants

Featured Speakers
Jorge
Castañeda
Former Foreign Minister of Mexico
Professor, New York University
Senior New America Fellow

Moisés
Naím
Editor in Chief, Foreign Policy Magazine
Former Minister of Industry and Trade of Venezuela

Moderator
Andrés
Martinez
Director, Bernard Schwartz Fellows Program
New America Foundation
Former Editorial Page Editor, Los Angeles Times