iHaveNet.com
Time for United States to Think Big on Latin America | Latin America Current Events
Online Breaking News Headlines Single Source to Headlines Breaking News Current Events Top Stories. Find out what is happening in News & the World. Check out iHaveNet.com for the latest news & current events articles plus Movie Reviews, Wolfgang Puck Recipes, NFL Previews Analysis and Politics. Your Single Source to News Articles, Current Events & Reviews.
  • HOME
  • WORLD
    • Africa
    • Asia Pacific
    • Balkans
    • Caucasas
    • Central Asia
    • Eastern Europe
    • Europe
    • Indian Subcontinent
    • Latin America
    • Middle East
    • North Africa
    • Scandinavia
    • Southeast Asia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    • Argentina
    • Australia
    • Austria
    • Benelux
    • Brazil
    • Canada
    • China
    • France
    • Germany
    • Greece
    • Hungary
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Ireland
    • Israel
    • Italy
    • Japan
    • Korea
    • Mexico
    • New Zealand
    • Pakistan
    • Philippines
    • Poland
    • Russia
    • South Africa
    • Spain
    • Taiwan
    • Turkey
    • United States
  • USA
    • ECONOMICS
    • EDUCATION
    • ENVIRONMENT
    • FOREIGN POLICY
    • POLITICS
    • OPINION
    • TRADE
    • Atlanta
    • Baltimore
    • Bay Area
    • Boston
    • Chicago
    • Cleveland
    • DC Area
    • Dallas
    • Denver
    • Detroit
    • Houston
    • Los Angeles
    • Miami
    • New York
    • Philadelphia
    • Phoenix
    • Pittsburgh
    • Portland
    • San Diego
    • Seattle
    • Silicon Valley
    • Saint Louis
    • Tampa
    • Twin Cities
  • BUSINESS
    • FEATURES
    • eBUSINESS
    • HUMAN RESOURCES
    • MANAGEMENT
    • MARKETING
    • ENTREPRENEUR
    • SMALL BUSINESS
    • STOCK MARKETS
    • Agriculture
    • Airline
    • Auto
    • Beverage
    • Biotech
    • Book
    • Broadcast
    • Cable
    • Chemical
    • Clothing
    • Construction
    • Defense
    • Durable
    • Engineering
    • Electronics
    • Firearms
    • Food
    • Gaming
    • Healthcare
    • Hospitality
    • Leisure
    • Logistics
    • Metals
    • Mining
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Newspaper
    • Nondurable
    • Oil & Gas
    • Packaging
    • Pharmaceutic
    • Plastics
    • Real Estate
    • Retail
    • Shipping
    • Sports
    • Steelmaking
    • Textiles
    • Tobacco
    • Transportation
    • Travel
    • Utilities
  • WEALTH
    • CAREERS
    • INVESTING
    • PERSONAL FINANCE
    • REAL ESTATE
    • MARKETS
    • BUSINESS
  • STOCKS
    • ECONOMY
    • EMERGING MARKETS
    • STOCKS
    • FED WATCH
    • TECH STOCKS
    • BIOTECHS
    • COMMODITIES
    • MUTUAL FUNDS / ETFs
    • MERGERS / ACQUISITIONS
    • IPOs
    • 3M (MMM)
    • AT&T (T)
    • AIG (AIG)
    • Alcoa (AA)
    • Altria (MO)
    • American Express (AXP)
    • Apple (AAPL)
    • Bank of America (BAC)
    • Boeing (BA)
    • Caterpillar (CAT)
    • Chevron (CVX)
    • Cisco (CSCO)
    • Citigroup (C)
    • Coca Cola (KO)
    • Dell (DELL)
    • DuPont (DD)
    • Eastman Kodak (EK)
    • ExxonMobil (XOM)
    • FedEx (FDX)
    • General Electric (GE)
    • General Motors (GM)
    • Google (GOOG)
    • Hewlett-Packard (HPQ)
    • Home Depot (HD)
    • Honeywell (HON)
    • IBM (IBM)
    • Intel (INTC)
    • Int'l Paper (IP)
    • JP Morgan Chase (JPM)
    • J & J (JNJ)
    • McDonalds (MCD)
    • Merck (MRK)
    • Microsoft (MSFT)
    • P & G (PG)
    • United Tech (UTX)
    • Wal-Mart (WMT)
    • Walt Disney (DIS)
  • TECH
    • ADVANCED
    • FEATURES
    • INTERNET
    • INTERNET FEATURES
    • CYBERCULTURE
    • eCOMMERCE
    • mp3
    • SECURITY
    • GAMES
    • HANDHELD
    • SOFTWARE
    • PERSONAL
    • WIRELESS
  • HEALTH
    • AGING
    • ALTERNATIVE
    • AILMENTS
    • DRUGS
    • FITNESS
    • GENETICS
    • CHILDREN'S
    • MEN'S
    • WOMEN'S
  • LIFESTYLE
    • AUTOS
    • HOBBIES
    • EDUCATION
    • FAMILY
    • FASHION
    • FOOD
    • HOME DECOR
    • RELATIONSHIPS
    • PARENTING
    • PETS
    • TRAVEL
    • WOMEN
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • BOOKS
    • TELEVISION
    • MUSIC
    • THE ARTS
    • MOVIES
    • CULTURE
  • SPORTS
    • BASEBALL
    • BASKETBALL
    • COLLEGES
    • FOOTBALL
    • GOLF
    • HOCKEY
    • OLYMPICS
    • SOCCER
    • TENNIS
  • Subscribe to RSS Feeds EMAIL ALERT Subscriptions from iHaveNet.com RSS
    • RSS | Politics
    • RSS | Recipes
    • RSS | NFL Football
    • RSS | Movie Reviews
Time for United States to Think Big on Latin America
Andres Oppenheimer

HOME > WORLD

 

U.S. diplomatic ties with Latin America, which have been in limbo for months, got a small boost last week when President Barack Obama nominated Roberta Jacobson as top State Department official in charge of Latin American affairs. But that alone will not do much to revert the gradual loss of U.S. clout in the region.

Granted, the career diplomat gets high marks from almost everybody in Washington's small world of Latin American affairs specialists. Unlike her predecessor Arturo Valenzuela, a political appointee whose nomination in 2009 was blocked for several months by Conservative republicans, the Senate is expected to easily confirm her nomination.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ross Lehtinen, R-Miami, one of the harshest critics of Obama's efforts to work with anti-American governments in the region, told me that Jacobson has "intimate knowledge and hands-on experience in Latin America." My interpretation: Republicans will not block her nomination.

Jacobson's appointment would put an end to five months in which the job was left vacant, after Valenzuela's resignation. Before her current job as acting chief of the State Department's Western Hemisphere Affairs office, Jacobson served among other things as head of Mexican affairs, and No. 2 diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Peru.

A well-placed Republican congressional staffer told me that "she is a highly competent career diplomat, but don't expect her to have a vision, or to make any waves." He added, "She will be a technocrat who will keep the trains running."

A knowledgeable Democratic congressional source agreed that Jacobson would be "a good program manager, a caretaker who will be good at keeping problems from reaching the president's desk."

Among the most urgent issues Jacobson would have to deal with would be the long-stalled U.S. ratification of the free trade deals with Colombia and Panama, the escalating violence in Mexico, and the April 2012, 34-country Summit of the Americas in Colombia.

On a wider spectrum, she would have to find new ways to improve ties with the region at a time when China has eclipsed much of the previous U.S. economic influence in South America's commodity producing countries.

According to a recent United Nations report, the U.S. share of Latin American imports has dropped from 55 percent in 2000 to 32 percent in 2009, while the U.S. share of Latin American exports fell from 61 percent to 42 percent over the same period. The share of U.S. investments in the region has also fallen over the past decade, U.N. figures show.

My opinion: Jacobson's rapid congressional confirmation would greatly help carry out existing U.S. policies, but will be no substitute for the Obama administration's lack of a strategic plan for the region.

I happen to like Obama's concept of changing the U.S. role in the region from "benefactor" to "equal partner," as he told me in an interview earlier this year. And he has done some good things in the area, including starting a program to raise to 100,000 the number of American students going to Latin America, and vice-versa.

But the fact is that while previous U.S. administrations launched ambitious plans such as the Alliance for Progress, the Initiative of the Americas or the Free Trade Area of the Americas, Obama has not proposed any major regional initiative. What's just as bad, there are no champions for Latin America within his Cabinet -- a key factor to raise the White House's attention to the region.

Now that Obama is preparing to run for a second term, he should start working on a new hemispheric trade initiative to create value chains that -- by buying Latin America-made components for U.S. exports -- would help the United States better compete with Asia in global markets, and would help Latin America export more sophisticated goods to the United States.

Washington already has a competitive advantage over China in the region: it buys mostly manufactured goods from Latin America, whereas China buys mostly raw materials that produce much fewer economic gains. America should seek an even greater U.S.-Latin American partnership to make its exports more competitive world-wide.

In addition, Washington could start much bolder educational, science and technology exchanges with the region -- an area where America still excels.

It's time for Obama to think big about Latin America, if he doesn't want the United States to continue losing ground in the region.

 

SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

 

Twitter: @ihavenet

 

  • Beyond the Nation-State
  • The Human Rights Council: 5 Years On
  • United States Prepares Sanctions Against Iran for Bomb Plot
  • Iran Denies Alleged Plot to Kill Saudi Envoy
  • Cyber Security as a Wicked Problem
  • An Alternative Eulogy for Steve Jobs
  • Americas to Become Mecca of World's Energy
  • Time for United States to Think Big on Latin America
  • Latin Universities Index Doesn't Tell Full Story
  • Blind Eye to Colombia's Questionable Human Rights Record
  • United States - Cuba Policy Staggers from Inept to Pedestrian
  • Rick Perry Proposal of American Troops in Mexico Stirs Criticism
  • GOP Candidates Look at Narco-Terrorism Risks
  • Dexia Bank's Collapse and the European Financial Crisis
  • European Crisis: Precise Solutions in an Imprecise Reality
  • Slovakia Thumbs Down on Euro Bailout Fund Hike
  • Greek Anger and Greece's Survival
  • A Win-Win Strategy for Investors in Greece
  • Amid Strikes, Greek Workers are Hurting
  • Without Textbooks Greek School Year Starts in Confusion
  • Putin's Comeback: Fast Forward to the Past
  • NATO and Russia: Missile Defense Sticking Point?
  • Russia's Arctic Embrace: Cold War Reloaded
  • Putin Calls For Eurasian Union In Former Soviet Space
  • United Kingdom Riots: State of Denial
  • UK Unemployment Rises to 17-year High
  • Study Estimates 3 Million British Children in Poverty by 2013
  • Bank of England Pours More Money Into Quantitative Easing
  • Britain Shuts Down Family Access Immigration Route
  • EC Recommends Serbia Gain EU Candidate Status
  • Spanish Court Won't Let Cameraman Couso Killing Die
  • Poland's Tusk Wins Historic Second Term
  • Turkey: Making Room for Religious Minorities
  • Cyprus: Waters Roil in Eastern Mediterranean
  • A Nuclear Retaliation Alternative for India
  • Strategic Partnership with Afghanistan: India Showcases Soft Power
  • The India - Bangladesh Border: A New Beginning
  • Pakistan's Sponsorship of Terrorism Is Undeniable
  • Energy Crises and Riots in Pakistan
  • Dante in Karachi: Circles of Crime in a Megacity
  • Children in 2005 Pakistan Earthquake Zone Still Lack Schools
  • Afghanistan: The Regional Complex
  • Afghanistan's Energy War
  • Afghanistan War Marks 10th Year Quietly
  • Bono's African Philanthropy Could Use a Remix
  • The Dadaab Camps: The Daemon in the Detail
  • Dadaab Camps: A Day in the Life of a Refugee
  • Senegal: Demining Machine Clears Path For Better Future
  • Somalia: African Union Forces Attack Al Shabaab's Strongholds
  • Worst Forms of Child Labor Still Widespread in Africa
  • South Africa: Deportations of Zimbabwean Migrants Set to Resume
  • Uganda: New facility to Concentrate on Cancer
  • Africa: Why Involving Men is Crucial
  • Zimbabwe: Poverty Alleviation Program Targets Kids
  • The Economics of the Arab Spring
  • Many Arabs Stay Hopeful Even as Economies Sag
  • Arab World Poised for Economic Growth Spurt
  • Fear of an Islamic Planet
  • Riots in Cairo
  • Egyptian Army Turns Guns on Its Citizens
  • Timeline of Egyptian Sectarian Violence
  • A New Phase in Post-Mubarak Egypt
  • Boycott Looms as Egyptian Elections Near
  • Anxious Campaign Season Opens in Tunisia
  • Saudi Security Force Ramps Up
  • Sectarian Rifts Erupt Again in Saudi Arabia
  • Libya: Winning the Peace Collectively
  • Concerns Over 'Rampant Torture' Rise in Syria
  • Syria: Redrawing the Political Foundations
  • Lieberman Calls for No-Fly Zone Over Syria
  • Syrian Crackdown Reaches London and Paris
  • Anwar Al Awlaki Death Doesn't Solve Yemen's Problems
  • Yemen: Fallout from the al-Awlaki Airstrike
  • Why America Should Pay Attention to Egyptian Elections
  • Boxed in on the Middle East
  • Even Non-Violent Palestinian Intifada Seems Unlikely Now
  • Art Comes to Jerusalem Open Market
  • Israel: Bittersweet Reunion of Righteous Gentiles
  • Jewish Extremists Burn Mosque in Israel
  • Israeli 'Price Tag' Vandals Mark Up Violence
  • Rise of the Renminbi as International Currency
  • China: Significance and Implications of Tiangong 1
  • China Orders Closure of 13 Wal-Marts for Selling Mislabeled Pork
  • China Launches Own Iron Ore Price Index
  • South Korea's Naval Base on Ulleung Island
  • Why 2012 Will Shake Up Asia and the World
  • Rights Groups Moves High Court on Beheading of 8 Bangladeshi
  • Bangladesh World's 5th Most Vulnerable Country for Climate Change
  • Bangladesh's Grameenphone and Teletalk Partner on Cell Phone Early Disaster Warning System
  • How Space Technology Aids Flood Response
  • Philippine Supreme Court Reverses Ruling Favoring Fired PAL Cabin Crews
  • Malaysia Refugee Swap Deal Gets Support from UNHCR
  • Australian Alps Could Be Bare of Snow by 2050
  • Qantas Orders 110 Jets from Airbus
  • Coal Exports Boost Australian Trade Balance
  • Hard Facts: The World Is Getting Better
  • United Nations Can't Save the Oppressed, But It Can Give Them a Voice
  • Obama's International Outsourcing
  • Radical Islamist Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki Killed in Yemen
  • Anwar Al-Awlaki's Death Major Victory For Counter-Terrorism
  • United States Gaze Turns to Uzbeks
  • Fiscal Union for the Euro: Some Lessons from History
  • German Parliament Approves Hike in EU Loan Guarantees
  • Preparing for Greece's Failure
  • Despite Austerity Measures Greece Will Still Miss EU Budget Cut Targets
  • Greece Working to Convince EU it Can Meet Austerity Demands
  • Greek Parliament Approves New Property Tax
  • Greeks to Face Further Tough Measures
  • Albania's Unsettled Past
  • Balkans Summit Extols Regional Co-Operation
  • Erdogan Pushes for Common Future with Balkan States
  • Turkey's Sinking Lira Defies Soaring Economy
  • Kukan: Dialogue Not Barricades
  • Arab Spring Turkish Harvest
  • Iran at a Crossroads
  • Iran's Support of Syria Is Backfiring
  • The Mottled Relationship: Iran and Latin America
  • Is It a Mistake to Draw Solace From Iran's Long Bomb Gestation Period?
  • Arab Spring Added Pressures to Middle East Peace Process
  • Israel Accepts Quartet Proposal to Resume Peace Talks
  • Blocking Palestinian Statehood
  • The Occupation That Time Forgot
  • Israeli Parliamentarians Call for Annexation of West Bank
  • U.S. Congress: Standard Bearer for Israeli Expansion
  • Michele Bachmann 'Blames' Obama for Arab Spring
  • Saudis Tussle Over Textbook
  • Saudi Arabia Grants Women Limited Right to Vote
  • Egypt Eyes New Arms Suppliers
  • Saleh Return Deepens Crisis In Yemen
  • Other Leaders Should Copy Brazil's Anti-graft Measures
  • Obama's U.N. Omission: The War Next Door
  • The Drug War Spreads the Bloodbath South
  • Mexican Cartels and Pan American Games: A Threat Assessment
  • Mexico: Death by Social Media
  • Big Agriculture's Latin American Exploits
  • Is Free Trade Good for Colombia
  • China in Search of Energy Security
  • Cuba's Domestic Reforms Surge Past Immobilized United States
  • Fears Over Environmental Affects Prompt Court To Halt Mega-Dam Project
  • Bolivian Workers Strike to Protest Controversial Highway
  • Afghanistan is Obama's Gordian Knot
  • Why Are Pakistan's Militant Groups Splintering?
  • Questions Raised About Haqqani Network Ties with Pakistan
  • Russia Strives to Clarify Vision for Central Asian Alliance
  • Azerbaijan Faces Difficult Choice Between Turkey and Israel
  • Azerbaijan Wrestles with Iranian Predicament
  • In Post-Soviet Central Asia Russian Takes Back Seat
  • Stabilizing Congo
  • The Balkanization of Somalia
  • Refugees Still Vulnerable in Southern Kordofan
  • Al Shabaab Attacks Kill 16 at Key Somali Border Town
  • Is Africa New Breeding Place for Terrorism?
  • Somali Media Press on with Work Despite Deadly Challenges
  • China-Indian Trade: Smoothening the Rough Edges
  • The Survival of North Korea
  • The 'Orchid Revolution' in Singapore
  • Counterinsurgency and 'Op Sadhbhavana' in Jammu and Kashmir
  • Indian Foreign Policy in Search of a Balance
  • Philippines Struggles After Two Typhoons
  • Typhoon Nesat Death Toll Rises to 20
  • Obama's Dilemma: Foreign Policy and Electoral Realities
  • The Theology of Armageddon
  • Why Al-Qaeda Won
  • Anti-Globalization Movement Endures
  • WikiLeaks: The Game Changer
  • Israel's Truths and Omissions on Vote for Palestine State
  • How to Save Israel and the United States from Themselves
  • Obama's Middle East Dilemma
  • Palestinian Leader: Obama Wrong to Take Israel's Side
  • Israeli Settlers: Never Shy About Taking Law Into Own Hands
  • Israel: The Cost of Arrogance
  • For Israeli Tycoons: New Strings Attached
  • Israeli Innovation on Display
  • Saudis to United States: You're Sleeping on the Couch Tonight
  • Over 5,000 Killings In Syria Since March
  • Iran Arrests Six for Supplying Information to BBC
  • Iran: Naval-Gazing More Political Than Military
  • Oman Assisting United States to Release Hikers in Iran
  • Al-Jazeera: You're Not Alone
  • Controversial Comeback For Egypt's Emergency Laws
  • Turkish PM Erdogan Encounters Two Egypts on Historic Visit
  • Turkey: Violence Casts Pall Over Constitutional Reform Efforts
  • Turkey: How Much of a Safe Haven for Political Dissidents?
  • Turkey's Neo-Ottoman Foreign Policy
  • Libya to Have a New Government within 7-10 Days
  • Libya Could Break Up Like Somalia
  • Libya and the Bully Problem
  • The Difficult Bit: The Arab Spring After Libya
  • Middle East and North Africa Face Shortfall of Affordable Homes
  • Lean Season Awaits Migrants Escaping Libya
  • Kenya: NCDs and HIV Fight for Limited Resources
  • Kenya: Thousands of Children to be Immunized Amid Polio Outbreak
  • Horn of Africa Migrants Beaten, Deported, Imprisoned
  • Rights Groups Report on Somalia Downplayed
  • Congo Refugees Unwilling to Return Home
  • The New Scramble for Africa
  • Japan's PM Must Quell China's Fears About His Nationalism
  • Fukushima Evacuees Slam Compensation Requirements
  • Nuclear Data Feared Stolen in Hacks of Japanese Sites
  • Second Lovers' Shooting Hits Largest Philippine Mall Operator
  • Aquino Off to U.S. for Open Government Partnership Launch
  • Aquino Orders Imprisonment of Former Philippine Military Comptroller
  • Timeline of Australian Asylum-Seeker Debate
  • Australia's Military Capabilities Up in the Air
  • Islamist Rampage Blamed in Bangladesh Riots
  • United States to Help Bangladesh Combat Bird Flu
  • Indian Earthquake Prompts 'Wake-Up Call'
  • Germany and the US: Toward a 'Special Relationship'?
  • Britain - Russia: Beyond Politics
  • Central Banks Lend Dollars to European Banks
  • Eurozone Pushes Greece to Speed Up Economic Reforms

 

Copyright 2011, Tribune Media Services, Inc.

 

Share / Recommend

Search Powered By Google

Google Search   

ADVERTISEMENT

Advertisement

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT

Job & Career Search

career & job search                    job title, keywords, company, location
  • HOME
  • WORLD
  • USA
  • BUSINESS
  • WEALTH
  • STOCKS
  • TECH
  • HEALTH
  • LIFESTYLE
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • SPORTS

World - Time for United States to Think Big on Latin America | Global Viewpoint

  • Services:
  • RSS Feeds
  • Shopping
  • Email Alerts
  • Site Map
  • Privacy