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Bonfire of the Andes

Michael Shifter
May 11, 2005
Article Summary

Shifter's update to his September/October 2004 essay "Breakdown in the Andes"

Michael Shifter is Vice President for Policy at the Inter-American Dialogue and Adjunct Professor of Latin American Studies at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.

Essay
Breakdown in the Andes
Michael Shifter

The southern Andes, long known for social volatility and economic disarray, is on the verge of chaos. This need not be cause for fatalism, however. By reengaging with the region, Washington could help turn the political crises plaguing Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia into opportunities for change.
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The United States would be wise to avoid responding on its own and instead work with other leaders in the region. Talks seeking a trade deal with the Andean countries should move forward, with as much flexibility as possible. Washington should also encourage greater cooperation among the countries affected by a drug problem that continues to corrupt institutions and fuel destabilizing violence. With a new Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS) in place, the United States should now work vigorously to make that institution an effective multilateral mechanism for promoting the OAS Charter's democratic values and principles. For the region as a whole -- and in the troubled southern Andes in particular -- the OAS needs to develop mechanisms to deal imaginatively with difficult political problems before they erupt into full-fledged crises.

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Essay, Sep/Oct 2004
Breakdown in the Andes
Michael Shifter

The southern Andes, long known for social volatility and economic disarray, is on the verge of chaos. This need not be cause for fatalism, however. By reengaging with the region, Washington could help turn the political crises plaguing Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia into opportunities for change.

Read
Essay, Special 1988
The U.S. and Latin America: A Lost Decade?
Margaret Daly Hayes

Covers US foreign policy in Latin America during 1988, discussing (1) Nicaragua (2) Panama and the Noriega problem (3) drug trafficking (4) the progress towards democracy (5) the debt crisis. Concludes that future US policy will have to centre around Mexico and the Caribbean basin, but that this should not obscure America's long-term interest in a steadily-improving economic situation throughout Latin America.

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Essay, Winter 1988
Latin America: The President's Agenda
Sol M. Linowitz

Recent and forthcoming elections in key Latin American countries come at a time when US relations with many states in the region are particularly uncertain. Discusses six areas which should be addressed by policy-makers (1) the debt crisis (2) the need for co-operation between the USA, Europe, Canada and Latin American countries in ending Central America's wars (3) support of democratic institutions (4) the drug problem (5) the need to rebuild inter-American institutions (6) relations with Mexico and Panama. Concludes that too much attention has been devoted to Nicaragua at the expense of greater concerns, although straightforward solutions are unlikely. Former US ambassador to the Organization of American States, and co-negotiator of the Panama Canal treaties. A substantial criticism of Reagan's policy in Central and South America, and interesting for its view of both regions as one.

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In the Magazine

November/December 2009 / 6, 88
Essay
The Dollar and the Deficits
C. Fred Bergsten

The global economic crisis has revealed the folly of large U.S. budget and trade deficits, as well as of the strong dollar that makes them possible. If it is serious about recovery, the United States must balance the budget, stimulate private saving, and embrace a declining dollar.
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