Red light, green light
by Andrea Faye Hart
Mar 16, 2009
Andrea Faye Hart/MNS
Here's a quick breakdown of the key points from Obama's Enery Partnership for the Americas
U.S. Census
Latin American countries' populations are inhabited by majority-young populations. This pushes the burden of energy independence on their shoulders, according to experts
Giving kids a chance
Before regional leaders convene at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago next month, young people on the two continents will make their own case for certain environmental and social causes. For the first time in the Summit of America’s history, a youth forum will be held in advance ofthe main event.
But the two-day forum starting April 15h isn’t the beginning; it’s the culmination of work that began last July.
Four sub-regional dialogues were held throughout the Americas in 2008, concluding with one in Washington in December, organized by the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT). The group created these preliminary meetings and Spring forum for this year’s summit.
“Engaging youth on these issues is not the other issue, it is the issue,” said Valerie Lorena, YABT’s program organizer. Getting young people involved with issues such as Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability, the themes of this year’s summit, are important for the future, Lorena added.
And population statistics suggest Lorena’s assumptions may prove correct.
More than two-thirds of Latin American countries have populations with 45 percent to 59 percent of the people under the age of 30, according to the U.S. Census. Some countries, like Bolivia and Paraguay have populations with 60 percent or more of their population under 30.
“Young Bolivians are more concerned with social issues than making money,” said Bolivian environmental advocate Annelissie Arrazola, who will be co-presenting the South American dialogue findings at the April forum.
Arrazola is a coordinator for AVINA foundation, an environmental group where she has worked for the last eight years organizing programs.
For Arrazola, the most important goal of both events should be educating people on the environment. “People in Bolivia just don’t understand what energy means,” she said, “and they are very isolated from each other so it’s hard to teach them.”
These community workers came together to share their ideas and “We started teaching people on the radio about water issues -- communicating the non-academic way is a way to teach people that’s inviting, “ she said.
But the preliminary discussions covered more than environmental issues. Enrique Casillas, a moderator for the political security and democracy forum in Mexico, said Mexican representatives used the opportunity to meet with people from eight other countries to develop ideas to fight the war on drugs.
“We need to hear young people’s ideas on how to deal with the war on drugs because the Mexican government keeps trying the same thing and it’s not working,” said the 24-year-old Casilas.
But financial setbacks may prevent Casillas from attending the forum. He’s been fundraising in hopes to get to Trinidad and Tobago.
“I promised to everyone who participated in Mexico that I would personally go to the summit to echo all of our hard work,” he said.
Remembering the excitement of the sub-regional dialogue gives Casillas hope that he will deliver the promise he made to his friends.
“You should’ve seen the enthusiasm on their faces, and afterwards.”
WASHINGTON – Relations between the United States and Latin America reached an all-time low during the Bush administration, many lawmakers and regional experts say.
“Right now it’s impossible to work in the hemisphere because our policy is so out of line in the region,” said Inter-American Dialogue President Peter Hakim during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing in March.
Bush-era conservatism coincided with the rise of several leftist leaders in Latin America, compounding the actions of leader’s like Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who sought to emphasize the ideological differences between these two countries.
Regional leaders are expecting President Barack Obama to change that dynamic when he announces his agenda at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in April. Obama’s southward journey to the Caribbean will be one of the president’s first trips abroad.
During the presidential campaign last May, candidate Obama indicated that he would shift relations in the region highlighting an Energy Partnership for the Americas. His agenda includes stricter fuel emission standards for the Americas. It would also create regional and global forums that would facilitate the pursuit and production of non-oil energy sources, like ethanol.
And Obama’s proposed partnership coincides with the themes of the fifth summit, “Securing Our Citizens' Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability.” His plan has also resonated well in other congressional hearings with Latin American experts.
“The president’s desire for an energy partnership for the Americas is just the sort of game changing issue that the hemisphere has been crying out for,” said Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the international business organization, Council of the Americas, during a hearing last month on U.S. foreign policy in the region.
While there’s potential for energy relationships, such as exchanging biofuel technology with Brazil, one of the world’s leading producers of ethanol, there are many obstacles. Here’s a breakdown of the key issues Obama will have to tackle to rebuild trust in the region as he pursues greener pastures.
Regardless of how he’s received one thing is certain, Obama’s going to have to start from the bottom-up.
THE GHOST OF FOREIGN POLICY'S PAST
For Latin Americans, President George W. Bush was one of the most unpopular leaders in the Americas, according to a 2006 Latinobarometer survey. His approval rates fell by 20 percent or more in the past four years, with even majorities in U.S.-friendly countries such as Mexico developing negative views, said George Washington University Professor Cynthia McClintock, a witness who testified before a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee last month.
Even fellow Republican Party members have said the former president’s policies had shortcomings.
“And while the Bush Administration’s heart was in the right place, the administration did not pay enough attention to the significant challenges and changes in Latin America,” said Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla) ranking member of the western hemisphere subcommittee that also heard McClintock.
But some Bush legacies that linger may not have such a negative impact.
In the State Department, Thomas Shannon Jr., who was appointed in 2005, has stayed on as the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. Janine Davidson, who was recently appointed Undersecretary of Planning in the Defense Department, said appointments such as hers and Shannon’s take longer to fill.
During a State Department briefing last week, Shannon, said that the U.S. would use the April summit to reach out to Bolivian President Evo Morales. This is a stark contrast from Bush’s engagement with the country.
At the end of 2008, tensions ran high between the two countries. Morales expelled U.S. officials from Bolivia and, in turn, Bush removed Bolivian Ambassador Gustavo Guzman..jpg "HartTimeline0316_image2")
THE POTENTIAL RED SCARE
In March, the House Foreign Affairs Committee debated relations with left-leaning governments that will be represented at the fifth Summit of the Americas beginning on April 18. The hearing, called to discuss Obama’s agenda for the event, focused on the proliferation of leftist regimes inspired by Chavez.
More conservative leaning officials fear that Chavez’s “Bolivarian,” or socialist revolution could de-stabilize the entire region.
“A growing storm is brewing in Latin America. Freedom is slipping away, and anti-American, leftist leaders continue to amass power and erode democratic institutions,” Rep. Mack said, “We cannot turn our backs on Latin America.”
The Obama administration should act swiftly in light of upcoming elections that could push the region further left, experts said.
On Sunday, a former Marxist-rebel group turned political party, the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), won the presidential election in El Salvador. A few weeks ago, congressmen discussed the upcoming elections in Latin America and said that the presidential race in El Salvador is the first of several to watch in 2009.
“A leftist leader in El Salvador could cause problems in Central America, and we don’t want that,” said Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind.
But labeling elected governments as socialist or too leftist has been a major point of contention for members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“I thought we won the Cold War? And I also thought the FMLN in El Salvador were no longer a terrorist threat,” said Rep. Bill Delahunt, D-Mass. “I think it’s very dangerous to be labeling all the time.”
Some experts said Obama could soon propose an easing of relations with Cuba.
“Obama will go to Trinidad above all with an agenda of closing the gap with Cuba . . . but not so much with Venezuela,” said Manuel Perez Rocha, a fellow on Latin America at the Institute for Policy Studies.
Instead, it is likely that Obama will dodge the Venezuela issue and divert Chavez’s criticisms, Rocha added.
But some congressmen indicated that Chavez’ anti-American rhetoric may lose its influence among Latin Americans, who have expressed positive interest in the new president.
“I believe the goodwill generated by President Obama’s election will itself do a great deal to reinvigorate US – Latin America relations,” Rep. Eliot L. Engel D-N.Y. said, while starting off the first hearing of the 111th congress.
“In my recent travels to the hemisphere the only thing the people wanted to know about was Barack Obama, he was such a rock star.”
SO WILL THE ENERGY PARTNERSHIP GET THE GREEN LIGHT?
Some of the political impediments cut directly into Obama’s potential for environmentally friendly green policy.
When Bush was in office, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was targeted as the key U.S. ally in South America.
And Brazil’s abundance of sugarcane makes the country a leader in the biofuels industry, according to a 2007 study by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. While Obama’s energy agenda identifies Brazil as a key partner, the country may not be willing to play along, according to regional experts.
They say the South American country isn’t interested unless Venezuela and Cuba are included in the planning.
“With Brazil or even Argentina, just because they’re more friendly than other Latin American countries to the U.S. doesn’t mean they aren’t friendly to Venezuela also,” said Manuel Perez Rocha, an Institute for Policy Studies fellow.
Aside from the political obstacles facing this greening plan, a key sticking point is tropical deforestation. Obama has advocated for reducing the rate of deforestation in Latin America because that would will slow greenhouse gas emissions and maintain wildlife.
“So far policies on deforestation haven’t taken into account the livelihoods of indigenous people and the way they use forests,” said Kelly Blynn, co-founder of 350.org, a global environmental advocacy group.
And if Obama wants to gain trust on these environmental policies, Blynn said he should start by setting the example.
“Until the U.S. passes climate or energy legislation in its own country or until they are part of an international treaty, like the Kyoto Protocol, I don’t think that trust is there,” she said.
