Panel Detail:

Tuesday, April 28, 2009
9:30 AM - 10:45 AM

Moderator:

Thomas McLarty, President, McLarty Associates; former Chief of Staff, Clinton Administration

Moderator Thomas McLarty opened this session on the relationship between the United States and Latin America by pointing out that "our futures are linked and our interests are common." He believes that the issues that exist between North, South and Central America are kitchen-table concerns, since they affect the daily lives of all the region's citizens.

Jeffrey Davidow reported on his recent experience attending this year's Summit of the Americas as a senior adviser to President Obama, observing that the event was marked by a decidedly different tone than in years past. Davidow outlined President Obama’s approach, describing it as a call for close cooperation, with no junior or senior partners, working together on a plethora of global issues such as energy, climate, poverty, immigration, public safety and trade.

Bruno Ferarri CEO of Pro Mexico noted that a response to many of these issues lies with ending protectionism. He pointed to the high level of intraregional trade within Europe, which he felt led to the tremendous success of the European Union. He suggested that by applying the same kind of trade policies in the Americas — where many of the countries have large internal markets — could create a major force.

Gabriel Rodriguez of the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs also called for more targeted associations between countries, specifically to promote the advancement of human capital and technology. Rodriguez encouraged targets and standards for these interactions in meeting the needs of the region.

Each panelist pointed out that the future of U.S.-Latin American relations is dependent on the United States devoting increased awareness and attention to the region. Ferrari interjected that he would like to see some of the media and international attention typically given to the Middle East directed toward Latin America. Former U.S. ambassador to Uruguay Frank Baxter agreed, explaining that Latin America is seldom on U.S. radar screens; it's not a danger to the United States, it's not poor enough to need foreign aid and it's not growing fast enough yet to excite board rooms. To make matters worse, Ferrari added, Latin America has not done a good enough job marketing itself and the potential benefits of partnership to the United States.

In closing, the panelists called for more direct U.S. attention to Latin America, increased and more effective education to prepare Latin Americans to compete in a 21st-century world and the promotion of more open borders for people and products.

Share: