The growing influence of China and Russia throughout Latin America is no secret to anyone. China, focused on its economic and commercial interests, ensures the supply of raw materials and markets for its products. Russia, lined up in military procurement, the oil business and geopolitical influence.
Upon first sight, the presence of China, unlike Russia, does not seem to have a political agenda … but, of course, its growing economic presence does not serve as much of a contribution to the defense of the development of democracy. The Russians do have targets with specific national security implications for the United States. Particularly, in the case of Venezuela.
This phenomenon finds fertile ground in the decline of the leadership of the United States in the region, and its lack of initiative. The agenda towards Latin America has to transcend the paradigms imposed until today, intelligently reissue the vision of the Alliance for Progress, of John F. Kennedy, that is, a holistic system of economic and social cooperation, inscribed in an efficient diplomacy to strengthen democracy and the validity of human rights in the continent, as well as encouraging the transition towards democracy in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, recognizing the specificities of the three regimes. So far, only in the message of Joe Biden and the platform of the Democratic Party do we find that vision well articulated.
Likewise, it is necessary to understand that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic requires a hemispheric response, before China itself continues to use this crisis as a window of opportunity, something that it has been doing systematically.
The United States, if we think about its origins and demographic diversity, is an Ibero-American reality. Latinos now constitute 13% of the US electorate. It is obvious that we must use this electoral power to increase our political representation, prepare human resources for the exercise of public function and mobilize our social strength around a domestic and foreign policy agenda. The COVID-19 crisis requires an ambitious economic response, which even takes on the task of facing the economic transition towards the environmental urgency and the social sustainability of our market economy. In this sense, the relationship with Latin America and Spain is of special relevance.
In its empowerment strategy, the Latino leadership in the United States must contract that ambitious economic and international agenda as a fundamental element of its proposals and political action.
In these elections, by the way, we have an opportunity to move in that direction. The first thing is to clearly face the fact that Trump has no more initiative towards the region than the speeches concocted to exploit and manipulate emotions in Miami. Make no mistake about it. Organizations such as Latino Victory, in addition to their commitment to a change in the leadership of the White House, are fighting alongside the Democratic Party to elect more than 85 new Latino leaders to the Senate, Congress and the legislatures of states where our community has decisive power.
We refer to candidacies such as Ben Ray Lujan, running for a New Mexico Senate seat, which would add a third Latino to the Democratic fraction in the House, along with Bob Menéndez (New Jersey) and Catherine Cortez-Masto (Nevada); the reelection of representatives like Debbie Mucarsel-Powel, in Florida; Antonio Delgado, in New York; Gil Cisneros, in California; Silvia Garcia and Veronica Escobar, in Texas; or Xotchi Torres Small, in New Mexico, where there is also Teresa Leger Fernández, as well as other women with emerging leadership, who aspire to seats in Congress, such as Candance Valenzuela in Texas; Brenda López, in Georgia; Christina Hale, in Indiana; or Michelle De La Isla, in Kansas.
All are options that will come to guarantee that our voices are heard, our priorities addressed and that the country’s legislation cancels those blind spots that leave the interests of our community on the sidelines. This will lead us to move forward as a great Latino coalition that promotes the interests of our community, from immigration reform with a path to citizenship to the economic empowerment of Hispanics, as well as the relationship with Latin America as the priority to which it corresponds, with the approach of cooperation and democratic construction that is urgent in the foreign policy of the United States.
Regarding the latter, the only way to face influences that, for various reasons, could be pernicious is to strengthen Latin America from within, from its people, from its democratic institutions and an economy that eliminates the gap of inequalities. The United States can – and is called upon – to contribute greatly to this objective. Latinos must make it a priority. And a soon reality.
Photo: Alejandro Barba/Unsplash