Change for US and Latin America

Under President Barack Obama’s reign, one can safely assume that relationships with foreign nations will be less militaristic and more social and conversational than was during Bush’s presidency. The United States’ attitudes towards Latin America have been particularly troubling. Despite the close ties between Latin America and the United States due to the high level of immigration from the former into the latter, and the amount of valued cash exchanges between these countries, their relationship has seen quaky grounds during the Bush Administration. In a long delayed attempt to help alleviate this strained relationship, the United States will have more discussions with longtime enemies of the nation such as: Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia. "There will be an increased emphasis on multilateralism and the possibility of diplomatic overtures toward regimes historically antagonistic toward Washington," said Rob Munks, the Americas editor for Jane's Information Group.

Obama, in following his campaign promise for better relations with foreign nations has created a new organization, “A New Partnership for the Americas,” in which Latin American immigrants will act as informal ambassadors, the United States will expand the Peace Corps in Latin America, well as placing more of an interest in the region, all of which had been disbanded in 2004 under the previous presidency. Obama, it seems, views Latin America as a sort of family to the United States, commonly referring to the entire continent, the Americas, as a collective “we,” instead of categorizing each nation.

United States’ attention on Latin America, when it existed, focused mainly on its growing drug problems, along with its associated drug violence, and worked only to curb these issues. The hopes of children in the favelas (slums) of Rio, the security for the policemen in Mexico City, and the answered cries of political prisoners heard from jails in Havana, were not seen or heard when it came to United States interests in Latin America.

Obama’s presidency, it seems, will be marked with a great effort to remedy the exclusion and hostility the Bush Administration has established when matters concerned with Latin America emerge. With the former’s assertion that his presidency will resolve the antagonistic relations the United States has with other nations, the foreign policy of the United States, it seems, will be taking the opposite approach the country had been adhering to for the past 8 years.