As U.S. voters hit the polls in 24 primaries on February 5, the Hispanic vote played a crucial role, particularly in delegate-heavy California. The Latino electorate helped make John McCain the Republican front runner. Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton has relied on a Hispanic support base, but some see rival Barack Obama making inroads.
What are the candidates saying about issues that affect the Americas? In the first installment of its U.S. Election Update series, AS/COA looks at candidate positions on foreign aid, including proposals for boosting democracy, alleviating poverty and disease, and increasing access to education in the developing world.
While illegal immigration draws attention in U.S. public debate, smuggling of arms into Mexico fails to gain the same notice. As the related death toll rises in Mexico, new
Immigration experts joined Jorge Castañeda, Mexico's former secretary of foreign affairs, to discuss his new book Ex Mex: From Migrants to Immigrants, and the challenges facing immigration reform in the United States.
Although U.S. media and foreign policy institutions have turned attention to other parts of the world, "Latin American seems to have fallen off the radar," writes Ludovico Feoli, who directs the Centro de Investigación y Adiestramiento Político Administrativo in Costa Rica. Yet U.S.-Latin American interests remain intertwined given burgeoning trade relations; growing cultural links stemming from migration; and common security threats such as the drug trade and environmental degradation.
U.S. and Peruvian heads of state met Friday to sign a a bilateral trade deal. But U.S. Congress remains reluctant to move forward on free-trade pacts with Colombia and Panama. At a recent COA event, Colombian Minister Luis Guillermo Plata emphasized that a trade agreement would support stability and prosperity in his country.
Speaking at AS/COA's 7th Annual Latin America Conference, New York Congressman Joseph Crowley emphasized the importance of trade and investment for boosting U.S. relations with Latin America. "We are finally waking up to the importance of economic and social development in our own neighborhood," said Crowley.