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home > by region > americas > nafta > Academic Module: U.S.-Latin America Relations: A New Direction for a New Reality
November 25, 2008
| Author: | Shannon K. O'Neil, Douglas Dillon Fellow for Latin America Studies |
|---|
This module features teaching notes by CFR Douglas Dillon Fellow for Latin America Studies Shannon K. O'Neil, director of the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force on Latin America, U.S.-Latin America Relations: A New Direction for a New Reality, along with other resources to supplement the text. This Task Force report offers recommendations for U.S. policy toward Latin America and identifies four crucial areas—poverty and inequality, public security, migration, and energy security—that should provide the basis of a new U.S. approach.
What is a CFR Academic Module?
Academic Modules—featuring teaching notes by the authors of CFR publications—are designed to assist educators in creating or supplementing a course syllabus. The modules are customized packages built around a primary CFR text, such as a book or report, and include teaching notes; additional readings; video, audio, and transcripts of CFR meetings; Foreign Affairs articles; and other online resources. Use of these modules is free of charge. They may be used in part or in their entirety.
May 2008
Task Force Report No. 60
This report recommends reframing U.S. policy around four critical areas—poverty and inequality, public security, migration, and energy security—that are of immediate concern to Latin America’s governments and citizens. This report is also available in Spanish.
CFR.org Interactives are graphics and multimedia explainers on the foreign policy, national security, and international financial issues of the day.
June 1, 2007
| Author: | Stephanie Hanson |
|---|---|
| Producer: | Jeremy Sherlick, Multimedia Producer |
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took office in 1999 on a populist platform. But as he moves to enact his “socialist revolution,” critics say the country increasingly resembles an authoritarian state. This interactive timeline offers a visual account of modern Venezuelan politics and Chavez’s rise to power.
CFR.org Backgrounders are succinct explanations of current political and economic issues.
November 20, 2008
| Author: | Stephanie Hanson |
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Mexican President Felipe Calderon has moved strongly against drug trafficking, but many experts say only reform of the police and judiciary can stem drug-related violence.
Updated: January 5, 2009
| Author: | Toni Johnson, Staff Writer |
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With oil supplies tighter than ever, regions most vulnerable to oil supply disruptions present a significant concern.
Updated: February 9, 2009
| Authors: | Cesar J. Alvarez Stephanie Hanson |
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Venezuela is trying to develop new markets for its oil at a time of increasing friction with its main customer, the United States. But a significant short-term shift in oil relations between Venezuela and the United States is unlikely.
April 21, 2008
| Author: | Stephanie Hanson |
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South America faces energy shortfalls at the same time that several countries have nationalized energy resources. Experts say a lack of cooperation on energy policy could hinder regional economic growth.
Updated: April 14, 2009
| Author: | Stephanie Hanson |
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Despite changes in both U.S. and Cuban leadership since early 2008, experts do not anticipate any normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations in the near to medium term.
Updated: January 23, 2008
The U.S. State Department continues to list Cuba as a state sponsor of terror, though most experts say the country no longer poses a threat to U.S. national security.
Updated: August 20, 2009
| Authors: | Joanna Klonsky, Associate Editor Stephanie Hanson |
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A profile of South America's largest trade bloc.
February 2007
| Author: | Eduardo A. Gamarra |
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Council Special Report No. 24
This report encourages the U.S. government to redirect its policy toward Bolivia from “wait and see” to one with an emphasis on conflict prevention and preserving the democratic process in order to address the nation’s many challenges. This report is also available in Spanish.
November 2006
| Author: | Richard Lapper |
|---|
Council Special Report No. 20
With polls showing Chávez strongly in the lead in the December 3, 2006, Venezuelan presidential election, the United States needs to prepare for another six-year term with the controversial leader. This report proposes a new strategic framework for U.S. policy toward Venezuela. This report is also available in Spanish.
June/November 2006
| Author: | Pamela K. Starr |
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Council Special Report No. 17
The contentious July 2006 Mexican presidential election has placed Mexico squarely back on the U.S. foreign policy agenda. This report offers concrete policy recommendations to the U.S. government on how to help Mexico deal with its future challenges. This report is also available in Spanish.
March 2006
| Author: | Julia E. Sweig, Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies and Director for Latin America Studies |
|---|
America quietly sowed the seeds of its own decline in the eyes of the world in its own backyard. In Latin America, under the guise of anti-communism, we sponsored dictatorships, turned a blind eye to killing squads, and tolerated the subversion of democracy. Almost nobody knew, so it didn’t matter, right?
May 2005
Task Force Report No. 53
North America is vulnerable on several fronts: the region faces terrorist and criminal security threats, increased economic competition from abroad, and uneven economic development at home. In response to these challenges, a trinational, Independent Task Force on the Future of North America has developed a roadmap to promote North American security and advance the well-being of citizens of all three countries. This report is also available in Spanish and French.
November/December 2008
| Author: | Juan de Onis |
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Summary
Brazil is on the cusp of fulfilling its potential as a global player. The next U.S. president should rethink relations with this important country.
September/October 2008
| Author: | Jorge G. Castañeda |
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Summary
The key to a successful foreign policy in Latin America will be focusing on four critical issues -- Cuba, immigration, trade, and the "two lefts."
July/August 2008
| Authors: | Bernardo Alvarez Herrera Francisco Rodriguez |
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Summary
Debating Venezuela's progress.
March/April 2008
| Author: | Francisco Rodriguez |
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Summary
The former chief economist of the Venezuelan National Assembly argues that despite Hugo Chavez's pledge to fight poverty, the Venezuelan president's economic policies have hurt the poor most of all.
January/February 2007
| Author: | Julia E. Sweig, Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies and Director for Latin America Studies |
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Summary
May 30, 2008
| Author: | Shannon K. O'Neil, Douglas Dillon Fellow for Latin America Studies |
|---|
Not only does the United States affect Latin America, but Latin America increasingly shapes the United States as well says Shannon O’Neil. Yet despite these deepening strategic, economic, cultural and political ties, U.S. policies toward the region have remained relatively unexamined.
March 27, 2008
| Author: |
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The Amazon was the chic eco-cause of the 1990s, revered as an incomparable storehouse of biodiversity. This article by Michael Grunwald examines how even though the Amazon has been overshadowed lately by global warming, it happens also to be an incomparable storehouse of carbon, the very carbon that heats up the planet when it's released into the atmosphere.
March 10, 2008
| Author: | Jorge G. Castañeda |
|---|
Jorge G. Castañeda argues that Raul Castro’s shy attempt to embark on a Vietnamese- or Chinese- style communism is neither progressive nor possible as long as Fidel Castro remains as Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party and the government violates human rights.
April 5, 2007
| Author: | Shannon K. O'Neil, Douglas Dillon Fellow for Latin America Studies |
|---|
May 20, 2008
General James T. Hill (Ret.), co-Chair, CFR Independent Task Force on U.S.-Latin America Relations interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
The former commander of U.S. Southern Command discusses policy issues between Latin America and the United States including immigration and Cuba.
January 24, 2008
Julia E. Sweig, CFR's director for Latin America Studies, says a new U.S. president offers a chance to improve Washington’s relations with Cuba.
January 10, 2008
Shannon O'Neil, CFR fellow for Latin America studies, discusses what kind of policies the next president should pursue toward Latin America on energy, public security, immigration, and income inequality.
November 6, 2007
Shannon K. O'Neil, Fellow for Latin America Studies interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
Shannon O’Neil, CFR’s Mexico expert, says Washington’s $1.4 billion multiyear plan to bolster Mexico’s crackdown on drug and criminal rings, while drawing criticism, is likely to win congressional approval.
June 8, 2007
David J. Rothkopf, author of a report for the Inter-American Development Bank on green energy in the Americas, and C. Ford Runge, professor of applied economics and law at the University of Minnesota, discuss the viability of ethanol as an alternative fuel and its prospects in Latin America.
Updated: March 18, 2008
Jeffrey J. Schott, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, and Thea M. Lee, policy director for the AFL-CIO, debate what the next president should do on the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Updated: October 30, 2007
Armand Peschard-Sverdrup, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Jorge Chabat, professor at Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE) in Mexico City, debate what an ideal security cooperation agreement would look like between the United States and Mexico.
April 10, 2008
| Author: | Julia E. Sweig, Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies and Director for Latin America Studies |
|---|
June 2008
Report: U.S. Southern Command Partnership for the Americas
May 23, 2008
Speech: Miami, Florida
May 20, 2008
Speech: Miami, Florida
January 17, 2008
Book: Center for Global Development
November 2007
Briefing Paper: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
May 2007
Report: UN Office on Drugs and Crime
April 2007
Report, Migration Policy Institute
Authors: Dovelyn Rannveig Agunias and Kathleen Newland
March 2007
Report: Center for Strategic & International Studies
Author: Edited by Sidney Weintraub
2007
Report: Inter-American Development Bank
October 3, 2006
Authors: Alejandro Portes and Rubén G. Rumbaut
June 2006
Report: United States Government Accountability Office
July 2005
Report: Institute for the Study of International Migration, Georgetown University
2005
Occasional Paper: RAND Corporation
March 9, 2007
Agreement
The David A. Morse Lecture with Michelle Bachelet
Related Project: David A. Morse Lecture Series
| Speaker: | Michelle Bachelet, President, Republic of Chile |
|---|---|
| Presider: | Garrick Utley, President, The Levin Institute |
Transcript: A Conversation With Michelle Bachelet
Audio: The David A. Morse Lecture with Michelle Bachelet (Audio)
Video: The David A. Morse Lecture with Michelle Bachelet (Video)
This meeting is on the record.
Álvaro Uribe Vélez
| Speaker: | Alvaro Uribe Vélez, President of the Republic of Colombia |
|---|---|
| Presider: | Sergio J. Galvis, Partner, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP |
Transcript: Meeting with President Alvaro Uribe Velez of Colombia
Audio: A Conversation with Álvaro Uribe Vélez (Audio)
Video: A Conversation with Álvaro Uribe Vélez (Video)
This meeting is on the record.
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
| Speaker: | Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of the Argentine Republic |
|---|---|
| Presider: | Richard N. Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations |
Simultaneous interpretation will be provided.
Related Materials:
A New Direction in Latin America
U.S.-Latin America Relations
Transcript: A Conversation with Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
Audio: A Conversation with Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (Audio)
Video: A Conversation with Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (Video)
CFR Symposium: The International and the Domestic - Latin America and U.S. Policies and Politics, Session Two
Related Project: CFR Symposium on the International and the Domestic - Latin America and U.S. Policies and Politics
| Panelists: | Edward Alden, Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations |
|---|---|
| Thomas F. McLarty III, President, McLarty Associates | |
| Moderator: | Hector Tobar, Columnist, Los Angeles Times |
This symposium was made possible by the generous support of the Ford Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Transcript: CFR Symposium: The International and the Domestic - Latin America and U.S. Policies and Politics, Session Two
Audio: CFR Symposium: The International and the Domestic - Latin America and U.S. Policies and Politics, Session Two, Immigration (Audio)
CFR Symposium: The International and the Domestic - Latin America and U.S. Policies and Politics, Session Three
Related Project: CFR Symposium on the International and the Domestic - Latin America and U.S. Policies and Politics
| Panelists: | Michael A. Levi, David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment, Council on Foreign Relations |
|---|---|
| David J. Rothkopf, President and CEO, Garten Rothkopf | |
| Moderator: | Steven Mufson, Energy Correspondent, Washington Post |
This symposium was made possible by the generous support of the Ford Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Transcript: CFR Symposium: The International and the Domestic - Latin America and U.S. Policies and Politics, Session Three
Audio: CFR Symposium: The International and the Domestic - Latin America and U.S. Policies and Politics, Session Three, Energy (Audio)
CFR Symposium: The International and the Domestic - Latin America and U.S. Policies and Politics, Session Four
Related Project: CFR Symposium on the International and the Domestic - Latin America and U.S. Policies and Politics
| Speaker: | Arturo Vargas, Executive Director, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund |
|---|---|
| Moderator: | David R. Ayón, Senior Research Associate, The Center for the Study of Los Angeles, Marymount University |
This symposium was made possible by the generous support of the Ford Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Transcript: CFR Symposium: The International and the Domestic - Latin America and U.S. Policies and Politics, Session Four
Audio: CFR Symposium: The International and the Domestic - Latin America and U.S. Policies and Politics, Session Four, The Growing Latino Demographic (Audio)
CFR Symposium: The International and the Domestic - Latin America and U.S. Policies and Politics, Session One
Related Project: CFR Symposium on the International and the Domestic - Latin America and U.S. Policies and Politics
| Panelists: | Kimberly Ann Elliott, Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute For International Economics |
|---|---|
| Carl E. Meacham, Senior Professional Staff Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee | |
| Janice O'Connell, Senior International Adviser, Hogan & Hartson, LLP | |
| Moderator: | Elizabeth H. Becker, Fellow, Economic Policy Program, The German Marshall Fund of The United States |
This symposium was made possible by the generous support of the Ford Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Transcripts: CFR Symposium: The International and the Domestic - Latin America and U.S. Policies and Politics, Session One, Council on Foreign Relations Half-Day Symposium on Latin America, America Latin: The Dynamics of Immigration and Integration in the Western Hemisphere
Audios: CFR Symposium: The International and the Domestic - Latin America and U.S. Policies and Politics, Session One, Trade (Audio), Latin America, America Latin Symposium: Session 1: Dynamics of Entry (Audio)
Video: Latin America, America Latin Symposium: Session 1: Dynamics of Entry (Video)
A Conversation with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
| Speaker: | Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State |
|---|---|
| Presider: | Carla A. Hills, Chairman and CEO, Hills and Company; Co-Chairman, Board of Directors, Council on Foreign Relations |
Please join Secretary Rice for remarks on the administration's policy in the Americas, with an emphasis on trade. The Secretary’s remarks will be followed by a question-and-answer session.
**PLEASE NOTE SPECIAL TIME AND LOCATION.**
Transcript: A Conversation with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice [Rush Transcript; Federal News Service]
Audio: A Conversation with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (Audio)
This meeting is on the record.
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