by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright April 18, 2009
All Rights Reserved.

          Setting a new tone at a summit in Trinidad and Tobago, President Barack Obama opened a new dialogue with former Latin American rivals, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, deeply critical of former U.S. President George W. Bush.  Like he did at the G-20 Summit in London in early April, Barack picked up where he left off, mending fences and making new friends.  His amicable overtures to Chavez and Ortega underscore how much progress can be made by one individual.  Meeting Cuban President Raul Castro, Obama relaxed travel and banking restrictions opening the door to normalization in relations.  Once thought unthinkable, there’s a growing possibility that the 47-year-old Cuban embargo could end, opening up diplomatic relations.  Barack’s willingness to meet Latin nations on a level playing field has opened doors. 

            U.S. government allowed corporate interests to dictate Latin American policy.  Latin American leaders have complained about pillaging natural resources south of the border.  “I have a lot to learn and I very much look forward to listening and figuring out how we can work together more effectively,” said Barack, giving rise to a new message of mutual respect.  Responding to Barack’s overture, Cuban President Raul Castro expressed a willingness to revisit some thorny issues related to releasing political dissidents held for since the Cuban Revolution.  Latin America suffers from a downward spiral in exports, leaving many industries, especially manufacturing along the Texas border, shuttered.  Obama’s friendly overtures to Cuba broke the ice with Chavez and Ortega, paving the way for improved relations.  Neither leader feels the same acrimony during the Bush years. 

            Chavez handed Barack a copy of the Eduardo Galeano’s “Open Veins of Latin America:  Five Centuries of Pillage of a Continent,” detailing European and American exploitation.  Chavez once characterized former President George W. Bush as the Devil during on of his many tirades at the United Nations.  Latin American leaders crave a new attitude from the U.S., especially after cozying up to Russia in recent years.  While ideological differences remain, Obama seems far more attuned to the socialist revolutions that threatened communist-phobic American leaders.  It wasn’t that long ago that President Lyndon Johnson ordered the CIA to assassinate Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara Oct. 8, 1967 in La Higeura, Bolivia.  Latin Americans have complained about the U.S. heavy-hand in political and economic affairs, especially publicly traded corporations.

            Obama doesn’t carry the same baggage as other American presidents, especially Bush who was closely connected to the oil industry.  Chavez has had his run-ins with ExxonMobil and other U.S. oil companies that helped develop Venezuela’s oil industry.  Despite not speaking much Spanish, Obama looked chummy with Chavez, affectionately shaking hands and patting backs.  Obama set the same tone in London during the G-20, sending a less formal, more approachable message in London.  “I think it was a good moment,” said Chavez about his first contact with Barack.  “I think President Obama is an intelligent man, compared to the previous U.S. president,” sharing the same sentiments of U.S. voters, resoundingly defeating his handpicked successor last Nov. 4, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).  Chavez urged Obama to resume normal diplomatic relations with his friends in Cuba.

            Reevaluating Cuban policy is long overdue because it hurts American business more than Cubans.  Prior U.S. administrations insisted on democratic reforms in Cuba while, at the same time, normalizing diplomatic relations with China, U.S.S.R., Vietnam and other radical regimes.  U.S. foreign policy shouldn’t be held hostage by former Cuban exiles that lost businesses and property during the 1959 Cuban Revolution.  Castro was neither the first nor the last of Latin American revolutionary to seek end poverty, distribute wealth and provide more security for ordinary citizens.  Chavez, Ortega and Castro see something special in Obama because his own liberal agenda runs parallel to the goals of progressive governments.  While Latin American governments seek substance from U.S. foreign policy, Obama’s respectful approach goes along way breaking down barriers.

            Symbolism counts for more than people think.  Obama offered no substantive proposals to change the political or economic dynamics in Latin America.  What he succeeded in doing was clearing the old slate and setting the table for improved bilateral relations.  Extending a hand to Castro, Chavez and Ortega, Barack started a dialogue that could change for the better U.S.-Latin American relations.  Gone is the ugly American, speaking loudly and carrying a big stick.  “I’m not going to speak for Cuba.  It’s not up to me . . (but) all of us here are friends of Cuba, and we hop the United States will be, too,” said Chavez, urging Obama to normalize diplomatic relations.  American public opinion—except in Miami—is open to normalizing relations with Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and other regimes hostile to the U.S.  Old hatreds have no place in today’s foreign policy.

About the Author

John M. Curtis is editor of OnlineColumnist.com and columnist for the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He’s director of a Los Angeles think tank specializing in political consulting and strategic public relations. He’s the author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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