Sec. Clinton Lays out U.S.-LatAm Policy in Andean Tour

With the 40th OAS General Assembly hosted by Peru this week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton traveled to Latin America and Caribbean for the seventh time since joining the Obama cabinet. The summit marked nearly a year since the overthrow of then-Honduran President Manuel Zelaya as well as continued disagreement between members over whether the Central American country should be brought back into the OAS fold. Clinton not only urged for Honduras’ readmission, but petitioned OAS members for support on sanctions against Iran over that country’s nuclear policy. In a trip that takes the secretary to Ecuador, Colombia, and Barbados, she delivered remarks in Quito outlining the shared U.S.-Latin American responsibility too reduce social inequality in the region.

By delivering a major policy speech in Ecuador, Clinton chose a country that holds the rotating presidency of the 12-member Union of the South American Nations (commonly known as UNASUR). But she also selected a country not always viewed as receptive to Washington. During her remarks, Clinton paraphrased Latin American historical figures such as South American independence leader Simon Bolivar—a hero of U.S.-critic and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez—and Cuban national hero José Martí as she highlighted points about overcoming social inequities. But she stressed the role of the private sector as well, emphasizing five areas of "opportunity" to overcome impediments to social inclusion: education, reforming inefficient tax systems, empowering women, job creation, and public-private sector partnerships. "If you pit the government against the private sector, that’s a lose-lose proposition," she said. She rounded out her speech with a call to the future rather than the past. "Sometimes, we in America are accused of not paying enough attention to our history," she said. "But the obverse can also be true. Sometimes people are captives of their history. So let us resolve to meet in the present."

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Recent history was a central issue in Lima, where Clinton traveled for the OAS General Assembly before heading to Quito. The summit's theme was “peace, security, and cooperation in the Americas,” but the question of Honduras’ OAS status dominated much of the event’s media coverage. Nearly 12 months after Zelaya was forced out of the country in his pajamas and more than six since Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo won Honduran elections, the region remains divided over recognition of the Lobo government. Honduras’ OAS readmission has been protested by member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), a left-leaning bloc established under Chavez's guidance and which Honduras was also a member of during the Zelaya presidency. Other major Latin American economies, such as Argentina and Brazil, have also been reluctant to recognize Honduras. “Now it is time for the hemisphere as a whole to move forward and welcome Honduras back into the Inter-American community,” argued Clinton during her OAS address. “We’ve worked with many of you to help Honduras find a path back to democratic order.” In a new Americas Quarterly blog post, AS/COA’s Senior Director of Policy writes: “The ALBA countries have no interest in seeing this resolved. But moderate countries should, and objective and skillful diplomacy can get them there; it’s up to the U.S., its Brazilian colleagues, and the much-criticized leadership of the OAS.”

This year’s general assembly provided an opportunity for the 33 member countries to discuss issues such as trafficking and organized crime in the Americas as well as fears over rising defense spending. Despite concerns about the possibility of an Andean arms race, no Latin American country ranks within the world’s top 20 arms producers. However, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has documented a continuous increase in Latin American arms spending since 2004, with roughly a $20 billion rise from then through 2009.

After completing her Ecuador stop, Clinton will visit Colombia to meet not only with outgoing President Álvaro Uribe, but also with presidential candidates Juan Manuel Santos and Antanas Mockus, who face each other in runoff elections on June 20. She rounds out her trip with a visit to Barbados to discuss the recently inaugurated Caribbean Basin Security Initiative.

Cecilia Farfán Méndez contributed research to this analysis.

Learn more:

• OAS page on the 40th General Assembly, held June 6 through 8 in Lima.
• Documents from the summit, including draft resolutions and declarations.
• Interview with Peruvian Minister of Foreign Relations about this year’s OAS General Assembly.
• Secretary Clinton's press conference with Ecuador's President Rafael Correa and her policy address in Quito.
• Colombian government press release outlining agenda for Clinton’s visit to Colombia.
• America.gov fact sheet on the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative.