Cunningham: U.S. poised to build on its successes
ASP board member, Nelson Cunningham, with his colleague Thomas McLarty, wrote in the Miami Herald this morning regarding the occasion of the sixth Summit of the Americas.
They argue that for all the positive economic progress and closer trade ties between the US and Latin America, the erosion of rights and democratic institutions in certain countries in the region remains a key concern not just for the United States, but for our partners in the hemisphere.
They noted:
“Since 2000, some 70 million people have joined the ranks of the middle class. Overall, the region’s economies have grown at an average of 3.5 percent during the past decade, double the U.S. rate and far outstripping traditional powerhouses like Germany and Japan. And in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Peru the reforms of the 1990’s have been locked in by presidents of different parties and political persuasions. U.S. cooperation with Mexico is deeper and broader than ever before, as are our ties with Colombia, which has become an increasingly active player in support of international peace and security. Free trade agreements knit us to many of our neighbors. And Brazil has blossomed as a growing global power both politically and economically”
They went on to say:
“….to achieve the true promise of what President Obama has termed a new era of equal partnership, the Americas must be not just an engine of prosperity, but an anchor of democracy as well. For as the president said in Brazil last year, “Wherever the light of freedom is lit, the world becomes a brighter place.”
You can read the full op-ed here,
