Transcript US Foreign Policy Toward Latin America

U.S. Foreign Policy Toward Latin
America
Final Phase of the Cold War
Post-Cold War Era
Changing Priorities Under
Jimmy Carter (1977-79)
 Downplaying of the Soviet threat
 Panama Canal treaties completed
 Reduction in the role of the military and
intelligence agencies
 Emphasis on human rights (Patricia Derian at
State)
Changing Priorities Under
Jimmy Carter (1977-79)
 Strained relations with Brazil
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Human rights violations
Nuclear race with Argentina
Roseland Carter’s comments on poverty
End of the Brazilian-American alliance??
Carter Reverses Course (1979 1981)
 Soviet use of Cuban troops in Africa
 Sandinistas take power in Nicaragua
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Somoza flees to South America
National guard trickles into neighboring countries
 New Jewel movement in Grenada
 Cold War mentality again dictates Washington’s
Latin American policy
Reagan Administration: The
Centrality of Central America
 Criticism of Carter’s Latin American policy
important in Regan’s 1980 presidential campaign
 Civil war in El Salvador becomes a central concern
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February 1981: world communism identified as principal
source of insurgency
November 1981: decision to aid anti-Sandinista guerrilla
force
Distraction in Grenada (October 1983)
Caribbean Basin
Reagan’s Liberation Strategy I
 United States and the Soviet Union ratchet
up aid to their respective clients (1984-87)
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Nicaragua
El Salvadorian clients
 Disagreement between President Reagan and
the Democratic congress leads to the IranContra caper
Reagan’s Liberation Strategy II.
 U.S. military aid more effective
 Violetta Chamorro defeats the Sandinistas in
a free and open presidential election (1990)
 Undermining communism in the Caribbean
Basin was Reagan’s most significant policy
success in Latin America
Reagan: Other Dimensions of
the Latin American Policy
 Ambivalence tending toward hostility in response
to “Southern” demands on the “North”
 Increased sales of arms to Latin American militaries
 Muted criticism of human rights violations
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Chile
Brazil
Argentina
• During the Reagan Years
Many Latin American
dictatorships gave way to
democracy
Explanation?
George H. W. Bush & Latin
America
 Reordering of
emphasis and priorities
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Missing themes
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Anti-Communism
Government to
government foreign aid
Panama Canal
Muted themes
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Status of Puerto Rico
Relations with Cuba
George H. W. Bush & Latin
America: Drugs
 Special priority
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Strengthened DEA
Pressed Mexico to control drug related
corruption
Cooperation with Colombia
Operation Just Cause
(December 1992)
 Noriega – playing double
or triple game
 1989 election victory of
Guillermo Endara
annulled
 December 1989 - 24,00
troops sent to Panama
 1992 – Noriega convicted
of racketeering and drug
trafficking charges
 Plotting the removal of
Noriega
George H. W. Bush Strengthening
Democracy in Latin America
 Washington Protocol 1992
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Amended OAS Charter
Explicit commitment to promote & protect
democracy
OAS begins to monitor elections
Secretary General can investigate and respond to
democratic crisis within 10 days of its inception
George H. W. Bush Other Activities
to Strengthening Democracy in Latin
America
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Programs to train responsible judges and police
Advocates civilian control over the military
Assists in building democratic political party
parties
War on corruption – viewed as a source of violence
and human rights abuse
Ideological Pronouncement: Human freedom, in
long run, best weapon against poverty, disease and
tyranny
George H. W. Bush & Latin
America: More Political
 Stimulation of the private sector as a path
toward democracy and freedom
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Small business
Charities
Debt reduction as a stimulus for protection of
tropical forests
Privatization of social security
Bush Perspective on
Democratic Development
 The health of democracy depends on real
economic gains for the average citizens
 Advice to L.A. elites
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lift the barriers of bureaucracy and overregulation that prevent the poor from creating
small businesses
give more priority and funding to universal
education- because no nation can afford to
squander the talent of its people
Economic Change: Road to
NAFTA
 End of Cold War makes attractive idea of
integrating all of Western Hemisphere
economies
 Concern in Latin America that U.S. will tilt
toward Eastern Europe
 1990 Mexico formally proposes negotiating
a North American Free Trade Agreement
George H. W. Bush & Latin
America: Economic
 NAFTA – first step toward Free Trade for the Americas –
goes into effect January 1, 1994
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Implementing & Strengthening NAFTA
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Promise - $200 billion in goods will expand
Develop border cities – reduce illegal immigration
Environmental concerns – especially water/clean air
Fast Track Authority for more free trade
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Enterprise zone for the Americas (Canada to Tierra del Fuego
Free trade
Bill Clinton’s First Term:
Completing the Bush Agenda?
 Preserving NAFTA in the light of Mexico’s
potential default
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Zapatista rebellion leads to flight of foreign
capital
U.S. government guarantees loans for currency
stabilization
 Domestic issue of drugs increasingly drove
U.S. Latin American policy
Bill Clinton: Haiti Interlude
 Haiti as a test case for support for democracy and
human rights
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Overthrow of elected Aristide government (1991)
Military-civilian junta (Gen. Raul Cedras)
Immigration from Haiti
 United Nations Security Council authorized
separate military police operation (Sept 1993)
 United States occupies Haiti (Sept. 19, 1993)
 U.N. mission to Haiti replaces U.S. military force
(March 1995)
Protocol of Managua: 1993
 Approved by General Assembly of OAS – went
into effect in January 1996
 Eliminated:
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Inter-American ECOSOC
Council for Education, Science & Culture
 Inter-American Council for Integral Development
assumed combined functions
 Indicative of efforts to revive OAS and increase its
social and economic activities
Second Clinton Administration
1997-2001
 Slowdown in economic reforms
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Domestic resistance
Mexico reluctant to share access to U.S. market
 Democracy more widespread
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Central America
Chile
 Peru: an exception?
 Drift: President Clinton occupied elsewhere
BUSH II: Latin American Relations
Fail to Hold Center Stage
 Mexican – U.S. relations: a central theme of 2000
presidential election campaign
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Illegal immigration
Competition for Mexican-American vote
Security of border
Election of Vicente Fox (conservative National Action
Party)
 Quebec Summit
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Bush pushes Free Trade for the Americas
Chavez views himself as odd man out – humiliated
Quebec Summit (April 2001): Critical in
raising Hugo Chavez’s doubts about USA
Impact of 9-11 on U.S. – Latin
American Relations
 War on Terror emphasis relates Latin America
to the back burner
 Chávez
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becomes militantly anti-U.S.
Oil revenues increase capabilities
 Invasion of Iraq resurrects anti-U.S. sentiment
from Vietnam era
 Brazilian upward mobility dilutes U.S.
influence in South America
Obama in Latin America
Courting of Upwardly
Mobile Brazil:
March 2011
 Chavez
Greets/Lectures
Obama 2010
Merida Initiative 2010
 Security Cooperation
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United States
Mexico
Central America
 Aim
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Tracking criminal cartels
Combating drug trafficking
Sharing intelligence
 Training of agents
 Sharing equipment
Other Dimensions of Intrusion of
Latin American Issues Into the
Domestic Political Agenda
 Dealing with Illegal Immigrants residing in
USA
 Protecting the United States borders with
Mexico & the Caribbean.
 Economic relations
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Free trade
Mercosur/Mercosul
 Tightening of restrictions on relations with
Cuba