The Obama Administration and the Americas: Agenda for Change

The Obama administration inherits a daunting set of domestic and international policy challenges. It would be tempting to put Latin America and the Caribbean on the back burner, for their nations pose no imminent security threat nor do they seem at first blush critical to the most pressing problems of U.S. foreign policy. The Obama Administration and the Americas, however, argues that the new administration should focus early and strategically on Latin America. Our neighbors to the south impact daily on the lives of U.S. citizens, on issues such as energy, narcotics, immigration, trade, and jobs. And these are the countries most likely to partner with Washington on the basis of shared values, culture, and interests. Recognized experts from Latin America, the United States, and Europe suggest in this timely volume that the United States should seize an early opportunity to engage Latin America, recognizing the region's diversity but also its shared concerns and aspirations. The consolidation of stable democracies and rule of law in Latin America has long been an expressed goal of both parties in Washington, but the backlash from Iraq, the global financial crisis, and other recent experiences may discourage the use of U.S. influence and assistance to nurture democratic governance. The authors emphasize case-by-case, sophisticated, and multilateral approaches to dealing with such hard cases as Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Haiti, Mexico, and Venezuela.

About the Author :
Abraham F. Lowenthal is a professor of international relations at the University of Southern California and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.Theodore J. Piccone is a senior fellow and deputy director for Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution and an adviser to the Club of Madrid.Laurence Whitehead is an official fellow in politics at Nuffield College at the University of Oxford and editor of the Oxford Studies in Democratisation series.

Review :
"Useful survey of inter-American relations." — Times Literary Supplement |"This excellent book is especially welcome at a time when Latin America hopes for significant changes in U.S. foreign policy. Written by scholars and practitioners with a deep understanding of Latin American societies and politics, it will help craft a more constructive relationship between the region and the United States It tackles the 'hard cases' —Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Haiti, Mexico, and Venezuela —and provides broad regional and historical perspectives as well." —Fernando Henrique Cardoso, President of Brazil, 1995-2003 |"An excellent contribution for thinking about Latin American-United States relations from a new perspective. Is it finally possible, through frank dialogue, to build a new partnership in the Americas? The authors of this timely book give a promising and hopeful response." —Ricardo Lagos, President of Chile, 2000-06 |"This useful volume by a stellar group of experts should be warmly welcomed by the Obama administration as it tries to reset the course of U.S. policy toward the Americas based on mutual respect and convergence of interests." —Ambassador Thomas Pickering, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, 1997-2001 |"This timely, pragmatic volume recommends a more strategic U.S. approach to Latin America based on constructive and focused inter-American partnerships on the issues that matter most to our people's daily lives, such as democracy and the rule of law, energy, immigration, jobs, and the environment. An excellent addition to the reading list for policymakers, analysts and practitioners alike —and another sterling contribution from top scholars of the Western Hemisphere." —Thomas "Mack" McLarty, White House Special Envoy for the Americas, 1996-98