[HNA] Fwd: [NALACC-MA] NALACC Letter to President Obama on U.S.-Latin America Policy

Mon Mar 21 19:03:37 PDT 2011

rom: proyecto Hondureno
Date: Mon, Mar 21, 2011 at 9:40 PM
Subject: [NALACC-MA] NALACC Letter to President Obama on U.S.-Latin America
Policy
To: NALACC MA <nalacc-ma at googlegroups.com>

NALACC Letter to President Obama on U.S.-Latin America Policy

March 21, 2011

The Honorable Barack Obama
The President
The White House
Washington, D.C.  20500

Dear Mr. President,
We, the under signers, leaders of prominent national Latino and Latin
American Caribbean immigrant organizations in the U.S., are writing to you
in light of your current trip to Brazil, Chile and El Salvador.

First of all, we want to commend your Administration for the initiative to
bring attention back to Latin America and the Caribbean, a region of the
world with which the United States of America has had a long, often
troublesome, relationship. Your victory in 2008 stimulated hope among Latin
American societies that long for normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations; an
end to the so called “war on drugs”; a recalibration of U.S. trade and
investment policies; and a firm commitment to nonintervention and respect
for sovereignty in the region.

The choice of Brazil, Chile and El Salvador for your visit is poignant. The
U.S. has a large moral debt to these countries: In each case past
Administrations (early 1960’S through early 1990’s) supported directly or
indirectly the ascent and continuation in power of brutal dictatorships and
later, in the case of Chile and El Salvador, U.S.-client states-regimes. The
current Salvadoran and Chilean-origin populations in the U.S. are
essentially creations of massive refugee-flows caused by gross and
wide-spread human rights violation and political repression carried out by
U.S.-supported regimes.

Indeed, given the fact that most of the foreign born population now residing
in the U.S. happen to be people born in Latin America and the Caribbean, we
believe that U.S. Latin America relations should have a much higher level of
priority than it has been given so far.

As you visit the three countries mentioned above, we would like to bring to
your attention some of the most important changes in Latin America and the
Caribbean, which in our opinion should be taken into account as your
Administration considers new policy approaches towards Latin America and the
Caribbean:

1.      Although the lack of economic opportunities in many Latin American
and Caribbean countries is a leading driver of migration, we should also
acknowledge and validate the economic, social and cultural symbiosis between
the U.S. and our neighbors in the hemisphere.  The migration dynamic is
complex and multifaceted, yet we continue to use an outdated paradigm of
control, exclusion, and punishment, which leads to the vilification of
immigrants and creates an unhealthy pattern of scapegoating here in the U.S.

2.      While the U.S. economy has experienced a devastating economic
recession in recent years, many Latin American economies are experiencing
rapid growth. This asymmetry is not an accident. Instead, it is the result
of increasingly different approaches when it comes to comprehensive
development strategies. The experiences of Brazil, Chile, Venezuela,
Bolivia, Argentina, and other nations throughout the Western Hemisphere
demonstrate that Latin America has much to teach the U.S. and other nations
about sustainable, equitable development models.

3.      Democratic rule has taken deep roots in Latin America and the
Caribbean in the last two decades. In defiance of a history of dictatorial
regimes, (a history in which the U.S. usually took the wrong side), numerous
Latin America and the Caribbean societies have become examples of robust
democratic/civic participation.  In the two recent instances where
democratic rule was interrupted, the cases of Honduras and Ecuador, Latin
American and Caribbean nations remained united in opposing a return to past
anti-democratic practices.

4.      In spite of the progress in Latin America and the Caribbean in
recent years, there are serious challenges looming in the horizon. Among
these challenges are the following:

a.       The impact of climate change in the region, which threatens the
wellbeing of wide segments of the population, particularly those still
affected by poverty and exclusion;

b.      The growth of powerful and transnational organized crime cartels
dedicated to exploiting black markets –unintentionally fostered by current
U.S. policies- for illicit drug production, weapons, and human migration
flows. In the case of several nations, particularly Mexico, the power of
these criminal organizations has already reached a crisis level that
threatens the security and wellbeing of segments of their respective
populations along the trafficking routes.

All of these should factor into consideration of how the U.S. might
contribute to a mutually beneficial shared future.  We would like to suggest
the following proposals that taken together would revive the spirit of
President Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor era arguably considered the zenith of
U.S.-Latin America relations:

1.      Organize a U.S.-Latin America and Caribbean Partnership, inclusive
of civil society organizations (particularly those representing organized
Latin American and Caribbean migrant communities) intended to educate the
general public in the U.S. and Latin America and the Caribbean, about the
multiple benefits rendered by migration and to promote the respect of the
rights of migrant persons, irrespective to where they are and their
migratory status. Regrettably, the predominant view about migrants that has
come to dominate public discourse paints migrant persons as threats, or, in
the best of cases, renders them invisible. Without a corrective
intervention, it will be difficult to reach well informed and lasting policy
changes. In addition, such a partnership should focus on working with
national and international policymaking bodies in order to bring about
modern, just, humane and functional policies to govern migration in the 21st
century.

2.      Conduct a thorough and public review of existing U.S. policies
towards Latin America and the Caribbean, and to come up with a new
generation of policy goals and practices intended to support the social,
economic and political reforms carried out by different countries in this
region in recent years, that have resulted in more equitable and sustainable
societies. This includes the cases of nations often considered as
adversaries to the U.S., such as Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia. The goal of
shared and sustainable prosperity throughout the Americas, that truly
betters the life of the vast majority of people, is the best guarantee to
ensure stable, mutually beneficial and ever more democratic societies in
Latin America, the Caribbean and here in the U.S.

3.      Recent events in the Middle East have taught us all how important it
is to balance the relationship with government on one hand, and with key
civil society actors on the other. In the case of U.S. policy towards Latin
America and the Caribbean, we recommend a new emphasis on building
relationships with key civil society actors. The case of Honduras is worthy
of special mention. The current government, which many civil society
organizations in Honduras continue to see as an illegitimate government,
needs to be held to high standards when it comes to respect for human
rights. The wisdom of supporting the removal from office of former Honduran
president Manuel Zelaya remains to be seen. However, we respectfully urge
you to take a leading role in holding the current Honduran government
committed to unconditional respect for human rights and accountable for
human rights violations committed under their watch.

In conclusion, your Administration has a window of opportunity to bring
about a new day in the relationship between the U.S. and its Latin American
and Caribbean neighbors. We invite you to seize the opportunity to bring
about a post-modern “Good Neighbor” era that takes us away from a history of
military intervention, and the advancement of economic policies that failed
to create social, economic, political and cultural opportunities for the
majorities. We urge your administration to reorient U.S. policy towards
Latin America and the Caribbean in a way that enables a mutually beneficial
future for all. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Oscar Chacon, Executive Director
National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities

Antonio Gonzalez, President
William C. Velazquez Institute

Nativo Lopez, President
Mexican American Political Association

--
Patricia Montes
Executive Director
Centro Presente
17 Inner Belt Road
Somerville,MA 02143
617-629 47 31 Ext. 211

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