Print
Email
Share
CiteWhy the Summit of the Americas Matters
The summit in Colombia offers Washington an opportunity to boost growing economic ties amid ongoing disputes with regional partners over Cuba...
Transition 2012
Speaker: Shannon K. O'Neil, Douglas Dillon Fellow for Latin America Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
February 2, 2012
The U.S. president taking office in 2013 will have to confront the ongoing problem of drug trafficking from Latin America, but may also find opportunities to revamp immigration policy and economic ties with the region, says CFR's Shannon O'Neil.
Cross-border coordination of drug policy and enforcement is likely to continue to dominate the U.S.-Latin America security agenda, O'Neil says. "The United States is the largest consuming market for illegal drugs, and the vast majority of those drugs come from Latin America," she says. "This is an issue that concerns the United States and obviously the countries in which they operate. This issue can only be approached as a regional solution."
A "fundamental transformation" in immigration trends may provide the president an opportunity to reform U.S. immigration policy, says O'Neil. "In the last year, in particular for Mexico, what we've seen is what people call a 'net-zero' flow of migrants" into the United States, meaning that "the same number of people that are coming in are going out," she says.
As U.S. economic recovery woes continue, Latin America may also present new export opportunities for the United States, O'Neil says. "Latin America has over 600 million consumers ready for U.S. goods and more and more are rising to the middle class, increasing their purchasing power, which can prove beneficial to the U.S.," she says. To take advantage of this, O'Neil stresses, the winner of the 2012 U.S. presidential race will have to work to deepen ties with Latin American countries.
This video is part of Campaign 2012, a series of video briefings on the top foreign policy issues debated in the run-up to the 2012 elections.
Terms of Use: I understand that I may access this audio and/or video file solely for my personal use. Any other use of the file and its content, including display, distribution, reproduction, or alteration in any form for any purpose, whether commercial, noncommercial, educational, or promotional, is expressly prohibited without the written permission of the copyright owner, the Council on Foreign Relations. For more information, write publications@cfr.org.
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedInIs there any hope for political change in China?
The Future of U.S. Special Operations Forces
Special operations play a critical role in how the United States confronts irregular threats, but to have long-term strategic impact, the author argues, numerous shortfalls must be addressed.
Reforming U.S. Drone Strike Policies
The author analyzes the potentially serious consequences, both at home and abroad, of a lightly overseen drone program and makes recommendations for improving its governance.
The biggest threat to America's security and prosperity comes not from abroad but from within, writes CFR President Richard N. Haass in his provocative new book. More
Big Data: How it's changing how we think about the world
Executive Pay: The myth of crony capitalism
The Austerity Delusion: Why a bad idea won
subscribe nowPublished by the Council on Foreign Relations since 1922
The summit in Colombia offers Washington an opportunity to boost growing economic ties amid ongoing disputes with regional partners over Cuba...
Shannon K. O'Neil discusses the role illegal immigration plays in the 2012 U.S. presidential race and says the rhetoric does not always match...
This report from the Center for International Governance (CIGI) identifies opportunities to lay the groundwork for the development of...
Not only does the United States affect Latin America, but Latin America increasingly shapes the United States as well says Shannon O’Neil....
