MEXICO, CENTRAL AMERICA AND SOUTH AMERICA:
POLITICAL-ECONOMIC CONFLICT IN LATIN AMERICA

September 9-11, 2009

Capitol Hill Club
Washington, DC

While North America, Western Europe, and Asia remain the driving engines of our global society, attention is increasing on Latin America both as player and challenger of this globalized world. This region constitutes perhaps the most interesting and important case of states struggling under the weight of the past, while seeking to reap the benefits globalization.

Broad sections of Latin American society are being transformed and emerging as major players on the global economic stage. There are also large numbers of groups and states, such as the landless movements and the Chavez and Morales regimes in Venezuela and Bolivia that are resisting this historical transformation. Motivated by diverse fears and ambitions, it remains to be seen whether or not these societies can change themselves into liberal democratic and free market economies. Their incorporation into the global economy as responsible partners is central to American foreign policy.

Failure to achieve these ends could lead to such internal instability as to increase immigration pressures on the United States, breed terrorism, and provide the opportunities for external influences from countries, such as Russia and China, with aspirations not necessarily compatible with U.S. interests.

Beyond Latin America in general, Mexico, as our southern neighbor and third largest trading partner after Canada, is of critical importance to the United States. It is undergoing one of the most revolutionary changes in its history. Even as it seeks to extend the rule of law and create a market-friendly society, the Mexican government is locked in an intense struggle with the drug barons, who themselves are engaged in fratricidal warfare. The violence along the American border has in some cases reached unprecedented heights and there is a growing concern that it will spill over into the adjacent American communities. The security of our southern border has thus become a matter of real concern.

The U.S. Northern Command has been given specific responsibility for homeland defense and civil support, not only within the United States, but throughout North America and the adjacent waters. The stability of our northern and southern neighbors is then of critical importance for the security of our borders and our national defense. More generally, the U.S. Southern Command has responsibility to promote security and stability throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, promote democratic institutions, and address regional challenges through cooperative solutions and lasting partnership.

This seminar will explore the diverse pressures, ambitions, and fears playing on America's hemispheric neighbors and their implications for U.S. policies and strategies. Regional experts, foreign policy specialists, and political and economic commentators will explore the following topics:

SEMINAR TOPICS

• Latin America in Transition
• The Climate of Corruption in Latin America: A Gang of Thieves?
• Drugs and American Policy: Is U.S. Narcotics Policy Destabilizing Latin America?
• Reform or Revolution: Lula da Silva, Hugo Chavez, and the Future of Latin America
• Populism, Social Democracy, and Globalization: A Latin American "Clash of Civilizations"
• The Sandinista Redux:  The Return of Authoritarian Populism
• Drugs, Gangs, and the Stability of Central America
• The Andes and the Revolt of the Indigenous Population
• Social Inequality and Economic Growth in Latin America
• Trade, Aid, and U.S. Influence in Latin America
• Cuba after Castro
• China, Russia, and the Monroe Doctrine
• “Yanqui, Go Home”: Anti-Americanism in Latin America
• The Politics of Oil and Gas in Latin America
• Chile: The Mini-Tiger of South America
• Cuba and the Caribbean
• Argentina: Does Peron Live On?
• Latin America: Generator of Freedom and Economic Growth or Incubator of New Terrorist Threats?
• Latin American Immigration Policy, Trade, and Investment under the Obama Administration

 

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

After participating in the Mexico, Central and South America Seminar, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the geographical, demographic, and political-economic diversity of the Latin American area and the key states and interests within and outside the area that are shaping the evolution of Latin American society and politics;

2. Comprehend both the vast political and economic transformations that are propelling a number of the Latin American states onto the world stage and the social divisions that continue to divide many of the states within the area;

3. Distinguish the convergence of interests that both create alignments between Latin American and a number of external powers and provoke intense competition and even armed clashes;

4. Evaluate the cultural divergences and divides generated by geography and language, religion, race and ethnicity, and socio-economic class;

5. Analyze the impact of criminal groups and terrorism on the stability and democratic character of Latin America and relations with the United States;

6. Assess the role of oil and gas, minerals, and primary products on the domestic and global economy and international rivalries;

7. Improve methods of analyzing and constructing policy and operational responses in such complex transnational issues as climate, the environment, migration, and narcotics; and

8. Describe the nature of the narcotic trade that ties the United States with Latin America in general and Mexico in particular;

9. Assess U.S. immigration policy, its effectiveness and its impact on the broader range of U.S. relations with Mexico and Latin America;

10. Evaluate the security of America’s southern border and the threat that is presented on that frontier by political terrorism, criminal activities, and the unregulated movement of people;

11. Develop an integrated approach to American policy and diplomatic, economic, intelligence, and military activities throughout the region;

12. Comprehend the role of Central America as both a transit point between South America and Mexico and its complex political and economic transformation;

 

MODERATOR

DR. ROBERT S. WOOD is Dean Emeritus of the Center for Naval Warfare Studies at the U.S. Naval War College. He held the Chester W. Nimitz Chair of National Security and Foreign Affairs and twice served as Director of the Chief of Naval Operations´ Strategic Studies Group. Dr. Wood is one the world’s leading authorities on war gaming and crisis simulations and oversaw the largest gaming series in U.S. history, the Global War Games, which became a major venue in which hundreds of senior civilian and military officials gathered for three weeks to explore crisis and conflict scenarios and develop alternative policies, strategies and operational plans. He regularly provides advice to the White House, the Congress, and the Department of Defense. The co-author of the recent study, America the Vincible: U.S. Foreign Policy for the 21st Century (Prentice Hall), he has also authored, co-authored, edited, or contributed to 21 other books and numerous articles on public affairs, executive development, international affairs, and national security policy. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate in History with Highest Distinction from Stanford University, Dr. Wood earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University. He has taught at Harvard University and Bentley College and was a professor in the Woodrow Wilson Department of Government and Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The seminar will be held at the Capitol Hill Club, 300 First Street, SE, Washington, DC. Continental breakfast and registration will start at 7:30 a.m. The seminar will begin at 8:00 a.m. and conclude at approximately 4:00 p.m. each day. A luncheon workshop with speaker is included each day. An on-site coordinator will be provided to attend to workshop logistics.

No video, power point or audio-visual aids are utilized in the presentations. These programs are informal and strictly "off-the-record."