From Continuity to Breakthrough: the Obama Administration’s Policy in Latin America

Abstract

The election of Barack Obama aroused grand expectations in Latin America. Obama was expected to rejuvenate inter-American relations neglected by George W. Bush’s administration. However, the United States no longer sees Latin America as “the most dangerous area in the world.” Economic crises and international problems that Obama’s administration had to face contributed to Latin America not being a top priority for Washington. One of the first challenges for the new administrations was removal of the Honduran president by the military. The United States adopted pragmatic standpoint and kept the Honduran conflict at a distance – there was no hope of the constitutional president regaining his position, regardless of sanctions or political pressure from Washington. Obama’s administration contributed considerably to success of the peace process in Colombia. Stabilizing the situation in Colombia remained one of the security priorities of the Obama administration. It did not limit its activity to Plan Colombia, but took an active part in the peace talks and supported the agreement. Obama administration also expanded the goals of the Mérida Initiative to go beyond traditional, military methods of fighting criminal organizations. US intended to strengthen the rule of law in Mexico. The greatest achievement of this administration was normalization of the relations with Cuba, a truly revolutionary step. It was possible because of the change in the outlook of US public opinion on the matter of normalization, pressure from Latin American countries, and the change in the Cuban regime’s approach to the US.