This year was indeed historic for Latin America. Fidel Castro finally stepped down from power and handed the reins to his brother Raul. According to a panelist at a recent event at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Raul, unlike his brother, is no charismatic political leader; he is a military man, a manager of bureaucracy. Does that matter? Perhaps. The panelists also made clear Fidel will most certainly not return to power due to deteriorating health, though he still does manage to “put his foot down” from time …
Our neighbors to the south have been making considerable progress over the past decade. Economic growth in the region has risen a healthy 5.5%. Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Chile and others have done quite well. But the current economic crisis comes like a curve ball and will lower growth expectations and place considerable strain on the economies of Latin America. Working to repair damages and keep economic growth going with trade and investment will be a major challenge for the next U.S. president.Accomplishing this goal will be complicated by the resurgence …
Free trade has been receiving a bad rap lately. Barack Obama’s campaign has come out in full force against free trade. In addition to clumsily saying he would unilaterally renegotiate NAFTA (much to the chagrin of Canada and Mexico), during the third presidential debate Obama voiced opposition to the Colombian free trade agreement under the guise of “human rights.” Yet according to a recent editorial in the Wall Street Journal, labor union members, the contingent against whom human rights abuses have been aggressively exercised, are now much safer under Alvaro …
