Heine Argues for Change in U.S. Policy Towards Latin America
Jorge Heine, Research Professor at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, has published a letter in the Financial Times calling on the United States to revisit its approach to Latin America.
Heine’s letter, titled “US needs major reset of policy towards Latin America,” follows up on a piece from the Financial Times‘ editorial board, “The US’s lack of ambition risks losing Latin America.” In it, he argues that the U.S. needs to reshape its policy towards Latin America as it has not employed a suitable response to the regional devastation caused by COVID-19. The recent Summit of the Americas could have been an opportunity for the Biden administration to rekindle its commitment to the region; however, Heine says it simply showcased the failure of the President’s Latin American policy.
An excerpt:
In the wake of Donald Trump’s anti-Latin American rhetoric and his use of Latin immigration as a wedge issue, both in his campaign and in office, Joe Biden’s election raised much hope in the region. Yet, those hopes have been dashed. Instead of embracing the progressive, forward-looking approach to the hemisphere deployed by President Barack Obama in his second term, President Biden has chosen to go with a ‘Trump lite’ policy, that toned down the rhetoric, but otherwise kept many of Trump’s policies — on Cuba, on Venezuela, on Haiti, on immigration and on trade.
The full letter can be read on Financial Times‘ website.
Ambassador Jorge Heine is a Research Professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. He has served as ambassador of Chile to China (2014-2017), to India (2003-2007) and to South Africa (1994-1999), and as a Cabinet Minister in the Chilean Government. Read more about Ambassador Heine on his faculty profile.