Hillary Clinton and James Steinberg "Talk Tough" on Latin America

[While President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and their appointees emphasise a return to diplomacy in foreign relations, so far they show little inclination to be diplomatic toward leftist governments in Latin America, including Venezuel. In fact, comments by Clinton and other recent appointees show a continuation of an antiquated analysis and a lack of understanding of recent Latin American social movements and regional integration.]

Hillary Clinton and James Steinberg "Talk Tough" on Latin America

February 2nd 2009, by April Howard - upsidedownworld.org

While President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and their appointees emphasize a return to diplomacy in foreign relations, so far they show little inclination to be diplomatic toward leftist governments in Latin America. In fact, comments by Clinton and other recent appointees show a continuation of an antiquated analysis and a lack of understanding of recent Latin American social movements and regional integration.

On a visit to the State Department on January 23, Clinton promised "I will do all that I can, working with you, to make it abundantly clear that robust diplomacy and effective development are the best long-term tools for securing America's future." Obama made similar assertions in a speech to diplomats, and 'diplomacy', symbolizing a return to international peace and prosperity, was the word of the week.

Most recently, however, newly appointed Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, boldly stated that "Our friends and partners in Latin America are looking to the United States to provide strong and sustained leadership in the region, as a counterweight to governments like those currently in power in Venezuela and Bolivia which pursue policies which do not serve the interests of their people or the region." This begs the question of exactly who "our friends and partners in Latin America" are, as many Latin American countries are happily accepting funding for humanitarian projects from Venezuela, and Bolivia is hardly in an economic position to pull strings around the continent. These and other comments by Clinton show that the Obama administration intends to continue a foreign policy in Latin America based on corporate benefit and a misplaced fear of Latin American nationalism.

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