U.S. Official Outlines Obama’s Strategy in Latin America
U.S. Official Outlines Obama’s Strategy in Latin America
AS/COA hosted a public presentation with Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta S. Jacobson, who outlined the Obama administration's priorities for the region.
Energy, education and freedom of expression in Latin America are “specific challenges” that U.S. President Barack Obama plans on addressing during his second term in the White House, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson said on Tuesday.
In a presentation to the New York-based Council of the Americas, Jacobson declined to address the future of Venezuela, although she expressed hope for a quick recovery of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez, who flew to Cuba this week for emergency cancer treatment.
“Looking forward, I would like to mention some specific challenges that we face in three areas of our policy of partnership and shared responsibility that are the basis of President Obama’s policy in the Western Hemisphere: energy, education and freedom of expression,” the U.S. official said.
Jacobson noted that while 20 or 30 years ago, some of the current Latin American leaders fought for freedom of expression against military dictatorships, now “some populist leaders are closing or censoring independent media, tribunals and other essential elements of democracy,” although she did not mention specific countries.
Last October, the Inter-American Press Association issued strong messages to the governments of Argentina, Venezuela and Ecuador, urging them to halt activities that prohibit the freedom of expression, such as new press and judicial laws against journalists.
In terms of energy, Jacobson said “ an extraordinary opportunity” exists, as Latin America increasingly is a strategic global supplier of energy resources from the region.
On education, the State Department official said there is some concern in academic and business circles, because “Latin America has few or no educational institutions among the top global rankings on education....”
