“The New Political Context in the Americas: relationship perspectives between Latin America and the United States”.
New York. February 20th, 2007.

Global Foundation for Democracy and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo held the conference titled “The New Political Context in the Americas: relationship perspectives between Latin America and the United States”. The main speakers of the topic were Peter Hakim, Interamerican Dialogue President; Marco Aurelio Garcia, Consultant to the President of Brazil; Ana Maria Sanjuan, Human Rights and Peace Center Director of the University of Venezuela and Juan E. Pardiñas, Associate of the Center for Development Investigation of Mexico.

Each speaker defined the importance of reduction the social breach in Latin America that has permitted democratic development by allowing many countries to hold open elections. Mr. Hakim highlighted the democratic development that has been taking place in the region.  He also spoke about the renovated participation of parties with communism tendencies.

Juan E. Pardiñas spoke about the challenges that the new Mexican president, Felipe Calderon, will face. One of the challenges for the new president is to establish reforms in the work force and also fiscal reforms. Fiscal reforms imply more investment in the oil industry, since as of now the public sector is limited in allowing foreign investment and the government does not have the capital for the investment needed. One of his other challenges will be reducing the high violence problem which wraps the nation.

Ana Maria Sanjuan highlighted the efforts of the Latin-American region to become autonomous. She said that one of the most important topics is social politics, which involves the excluded, for the state to try to establish redistribution of goods and services for all. She also pointed out that in most countries of the region; there is a search for autonomy in their international relations and recapping their individual relationships with the United States.

Garcia, Consultant to the President of Brazil, pointed out that the relationship between Brazil and the United States is excellent even though the hold differences in some topics. He stated that Lula’s opposition to the war on Irak, and the United States commercial politics when rejecting the Free Trade Area of the Americas Treaty (FTAA). This can give a negative outlook to the relationship between both countries, but in reality there aren’t conflictive issues.

The conference was moderated by GFDD’s Executive Director, Natasha Despotovic and it was held in the FUNGLODE headquarters in Santo Domingo.