Asst. Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson on U.S. Policy in the Americas

To open the 44th Washington Conference on the Americas, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson spoke about the growing levels of U.S. engagement in the Americas, highlighting increasing investment and cooperation between the United States and Latin America. But despite progress, this hemispheric partnership is not fully realized, she said. One way to advance it is to “start doing a better job of putting people at the center of our policies.” Plus, she explained, “I’m fundamentally optimistic about the Americas because of the young people I find.”

Jacobson commented on the situation in Venezuela, saying “we’re extremely concerned.” She added: “We’re concerned about...an increasing polarization among Venezuelans and a decreasing amount of political space.” She also gave her thoughts on the Pacific Alliance, noting U.S. support of this trade bloc. “If you look at what the four original countries have done, they took the concept from a piece of paper to reality in just about a year,” she said.

Read a complete transcript of the assistant secretary's remarks. 

On China, the secretary said that while Chinese influence in the region has been important, “the critical factor…is that it be transparent and rules-based.” Without abiding by international and domestic rules and environmental standards, “it’s not helpful.”

She also commented on the debacle with USAID’s “Cuban Twitter” and if it will affect the use of social media to promote democracy. “I think it’s really important that we not stigmatize the use of social media for promoting democracy,” she said. “The notion that we would back away from the use of those tools by democracy activists and civil society would be a serious mistake.”