Latin America: For Trade, Obama Doesn't Look South
Andres Oppenheimer
HOME > WORLD > LATIN AMERICA
The Obama administration's first big move on international trade is good news for
The administration officially notified
'DYNAMIC REGION'
"
The proposed regional trade deal is the Obama administration's first major international trade initiative. During the campaign, Obama had criticized previous U.S. free trade deals for allegedly not having enough protections for U.S. and foreign workers. U.S. free trade deals with
Obama's
U.S. officials are worried that while U.S. exports to
There are two major ways in which Obama's proposed deal with
First, the proposal is a clear signal that the administration will focus its energies on passing the
"I'm worried that it could shift U.S. attention further toward
U.S. officials will be hard-pressed for time to prepare for the negotiations with members of the
"The effort to start work for the March meeting will take up pretty much all of the first quarter of 2010," said
MORE COMPETITION
Second, the proposed U.S. free trade deal with
U.S. officials reject the idea that the new trade emphasis on
My opinion: Of course it will. As much as I continue liking the Obama administration on many counts, I'm afraid it is confirming my earlier fears that, barring a few exceptions such as
Not surprisingly, when Secretary of State
Unfortunately, when it comes to trade,
Latin America: Chile Now One Step Closer to First World
Andres Oppenheimer
Recently, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) -- the club of the world's richest democracies -- formally invited Chile to become a member. Chile had applied for membership two years ago. Chile will become the first South American member of the OECD
Latin America: For Chavez, Money no Longer Buys Love
Andres Oppenheimer
Venezuela's narcissist-Leninist President Hugo Chávez is not getting his money's worth for the billions of dollars he is spending in public relations abroad: According to a new poll, his approval ratings in Latin America could hardly be worse.
U.S. May Take New Look at 'War on Drugs'
Andres Oppenheimer
In a tacit admission that current U.S. anti-drug policies are not working, the House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill to create an independent commission to review whether the U.S. anti-drug policies of the past three decades in Latin America are producing positive results. What's interesting about the planned independent drug policy commission ...
Brazil, United States, OAS Flunked Honduras Test
Andres Oppenheimer
Brazil, the United States and the Organization of American States deserve a gold medal each for their awful handling of recent presidential elections in Honduras. Let's examine how the main international players behaved ...
New Corruption Ranking Says a Lot
Andres Oppenheimer
A new survey on corruption around the world confirms what many of us have long suspected: Fiery populist leaders who rise to power vowing to eradicate corruption often end up leading sleazier governments than their predecessors
Latin America Sends Few Students to United States
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer
While looking at a new report on foreign students at U.S. universities, it's hard not to conclude that the gap among developing nations is widening: While Asian countries are sending more students to some of the world's best colleges, Latin American countries are lagging behind
Latin America: Street Blockades Breed 'Anything-Goes' Culture
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer
The street blockades that almost paralyzed Mexico City and Buenos Aires in recent days, interrupting traffic and keeping millions of people from going to work, are becoming a major economic problem. But their invisible costs may be larger than their immediate monetary impact
(c) 2009, The Miami Herald DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES