Washington Post columnist Marcela Sanchez recently tackled Democratic vice presidential pick Joe Biden and his views on Latin America. Sanchez’ piece takes issue with the Delaware Senator’s “protectionist” stance on free trade as well as what she deemed as a “condescending” attitude to the Americas. Sanchez also implied Latin Americans would have been more receptive had Obama tapped Bill Richardson instead of Biden.Despite her critique of Biden, Sanchez concluded that there is an opening he could take advantage of should he ascend to the vice presidency:
Interestingly, inequality is the one Latin American issue that Biden has seemed to be passionate about. He "has fought to address the root cause of the dissatisfaction and subsequent instability that has plagued the region, particularly in recent years: tremendous social inequality," according to a statement his office sent me on Monday. While this might be interpreted solely as political pandering, it is hard to imagine Dick Cheney's office ever issuing similar remarks.
Indeed, social inequality has not only been a source of conflict within the hemisphere but also of political divisiveness. If the Democrats win in November, and tackling Latin America's inequality gap becomes the basis for a new, well-financed approach to the region, many Latin Americans could start looking to Washington in a new way.
So what do you think of Sanchez’ article?
Image- BBC News
Sources- StatemanJournal.com
Given the rise of leftist regimes throughout Latin America, it seems to me that any ambitious U.S. agenda for the region would be greeted with great skepticism. In that context, Biden's so-called
ReplyDelete"blank slate" could prove to be a positive attribute.
It seems like Obama's advisers recognize the need to move carefully. In a recent speech about Latin America, Obama aide Daniel Restrepo said the U.S. should shy away from "imposing a model from above" and instead acknowledge that Latin America needs a "partner, not a savior."