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Last update: PhDr. Mgr. Kryštof Přemysl Kozák, Ph.D. (20.02.2018)
Contemporary Issues in Relations Between Latin America and the Caribbean and the United States
Professor Richard E. Feinberg Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic Spring, 2018
Tuesday, April 24: U.S. Interests in Latin America; Latin American Options Richard Feinberg et al, Better than You Think: Reframing Inter-American Relations (Brookings Institution Policy Paper, 2015). https://www.brookings.edu/research/better-than-you-think-reframing-inter-american-relations/ Roberto Russell and Juan Gabriel Tokatlian, “Beyond Orthodoxy: Asserting Latin America’s New Strategic Options Toward the United States,” Latin American Politics and Society, 53, 4, 2011. Discussion questions - What are the sources of national interests? - What is the relationship between U.S. global and regional interests? - How successful has the U.S. been in advancing its interests in the Americas? - In what ways has DJT challenged traditional definitions of U.S. national interests and what might be the impact on inter-American relations?
Thursday, April 26: The Collective Defense of Democracy; Dealing with Radical States Inter-American Democracy Charter, available at www.oas.org OAS Sec. Gen. Luis Almagro, “The Challenges of Democacy and Human Rights in the Americas,” April 7, 2017. http://www.oas.org/en/about/speech_secretary_general.asp?sCodigo=17-0051 International Crisis Group, “Venezuela: Hunger by Default,” 2017, https://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/andes/venezuela/b37-venezuela-hunger-default Oliver Stuenkel and Andreas Feldmann,“The Unchecked Demise of Nicaraguan Democracy,” http://carnegieendowment.org/2017/11/16/unchecked-demise-of-nicaraguan-democracy-pub- Discussion questions on democracy promotion - What levers does the international community, and the United States, have to promote democracy? What is an optimal mix of bilateral and multilateral strategies? - What roles can international organizations (OAS, UN) and sub-regional organizations (ALBA, Rio Group, CELAC) play? - Consider the tensions between democracy promotion and national sovereignty. - Be ready to offer cases of successes and failures of democracy promotion.
Discussion questions on Venezuela - What factors accounted for the rise of Chavismo, and for the implosion of populism? - Why has the international community been so impotent? - Did ALBA serve Venezuelan foreign policy goals? - Posit strategies for the U.S., OAS/UN, and the Lima Group.
Discussion questions on Nicaragua - What were the causes of the Nicaraguan revolution of 1979? - What strategies did the U.S. and other regional nations employ in the run-up to the 1979 revolution? - How has Ortega been able to consider his power since 2006? - What can the international community do to promote democracy/HR?
Monday, April 30: Mexico; Counter-narcotics Shannon K. O’Neil, “The Mexican Standoff: Trump and the Art of the Workaround,” Foreign Affairs, September/October 2017. Discussion Questions on Mexico - Has NAFTA served Mexican and US interests? - Are US and Mexican interests regarding border security, immigration aligned or divergent? - What are Mexico’s options for responding to DJT?
Christopher Coyne and Abigail Hall, “Four Decades and Counting: The Continued Failure of the War on Drugs,” Cato Institute, 2017: https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa-811-updated.pdf Discussion Questions on Counter-narcotics - What are the best metrics for measuring “progress” in counter-narcotics? - What explains the persistence of obviously failed public policies? - What strategies have produced the best results? - What are long-term solutions? - What impact will marijuana legalization in US states have?
Wednesday, May 2: Brazil; China Matias Spektor, “Five Goals for Brazil’s Foreign Policy,” October, 2016: http://www.americasquarterly.org/content/five-goals-brazils-new-foreign-policy Discussion questions on Brazil - Why has Brazil struggled for establish its leadership status? - Which domestic reforms are required for Brazil to realize its foreign policy aspirations? - Is a strong Brazil in the interests of its neighbors? Of the United States?
Atlantic Council, Chinese FDI in Latin America, http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/images/publications/Chinese_FDI_in_Latin_America_web_0626.pdf Discussion questions on China - What we do know about China’s short and long-term goals in Latin America? - Can we see an evolution of Chinese rhetoric and actions in Latin America? - Which Chinese policies are congruent with Latin American interests, which are not? - Can/Should Latin America present unified positions vis a vis China? - Is China a “threat” to U.S. interests in Latin America? Friday, May 4: Cuba Richard Feinberg, Cuba’s Economy After Raul Castro: A Tale of Three Worlds (Brookings Institution Policy Brief, 2018). Discussion questions - Was confrontation inevitable between the U.S. and the Cuban revolution? - What were the major initiatives of the Obama administration and how have they been amended by DJT? - What at the linkages between U.S. policies and internal economic and political developments in Cuba? - What next?
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