With ten days until Barack Obama is inaugurated it seems like a good time to detail ten issues that Obama should address. Since the economy would be number one and that issue is much too grand for this venue, it will remain out of this top 10 list. Most are foreign affairs matters since that is what this blogger is most comfortable writing about but it is not exclusively about foreign policy. Each day for the next ten you can return here to see the countdown.

 LATIN AMERICA

The United States relationship with Latin America has been contentious for well over 150 years. The Monroe Doctrine spelled out early America’s intention to hold sway over the nations to our south. This simple policy has dictated the US relationship with our Latin neighbors. The land grab against Mexico in the 1840s has worked out well for us but it laid the groundwork for how far America was willing to proceed to meet our policy goals. The Spanish American War, where Cuba fought to secure independence from Spain only to be devoured by America during the wave of Imperialism that was sweeping the world in the waning years of the 19th century, removed the last significant European power from the Western Hemisphere and guaranteed US hegemony in the region. The fallout with Cuba over this war has tainted our relationship with the island nation (Cuba will reappear further up the top 10 list) The early 20th century saw US intervention in the Panamanian insurrection which wrested Panama from Columbia. The aim was a canal project that would shorten the route between America’s east and west coast for shipping. Haiti was the first Latin American country to gain independence  but the US has intervened in Haiti on several occasions since, as the nation has been the poster child of instability.

America’s experiences in Latin America in the last half of the 20th Century continued to reduce our credibility in the region. Eisenhower used the CIA to overthrow a democratically elected government in Guatemala over business interests. The Latino government that was installed proceeded to carry out genocide against their indigenous people. Our failed policies toward Cuba in the first half of the 20th century ultimately led to a communist pro-Soviet government run by Castro in the second half. This in turn spawned conflict in the Banana Republics in Central America. Civil War ravaged Nicaragua and El Salvador and the violence was fueled by US support of non-communist forces. Tens of thousands perished in the proxy wars of the 1980s. As a result the beacon for democracy in the world has more often than not enhanced despotism in the region and left the American label tarnished.

Today, Latin America is at a crossroads. There are some great success stories. Brazil has evolved into an emerging economic force in South America. They have found a way through sugar cane biofuels to become energy independent. Columbia, once devastated by narco-terrorism is now on the road to recovery. Many Latin American nations have experimented with socialism and democracy and most have found a combination of the two systems best for them. Venezuela has found, through Hugo Chavez, that anti-American rhetoric has increased their popularity in certain circles but Chavez is finding that this approach only succeeds in the short run. His economic policy, despite huge oil revenues, has been largely a failure. Mexico ended one party rule in the 1990s and their future seemed to be brighter once their monetary policy issues were rectified but our southern neighbor is dealing with its own drug war. Gang violence, fueled by drugs, has ripped through their northern states. Lawlessness is the norm in many parts of Mexico. This will surely be on the plate of Obama in the near term, especially if the violence spills across the border.

FDR initiated what was called the Good Neighbor policy and was intended to bring Anglo America and Latin America together but the good feelings that the policy may have brought were very short. FDR’s policy didn’t hold but Barack Obama has a great opportunity to improve relations with Latin America in our time. We can learn much from Brazil’s energy policy. Emerging nations in the region can provide willing markets for American goods. It is time the US eliminate the legacy of the Monroe Doctrine and begin to treat the nations  in our hemisphere as potential partners and not states by which we will exert our dominance. It is time to tidy up our neighborhood. This is why Latin American policy comes in at number 10.