Changing the guard in America’s ‘backyard’

[Judi Lynn]

Changing the guard in America’s ‘backyard’
Latin America Special: History is being turned upside down, says Hugh O’Shaughnessy

by Hugh O'Shaughnessy
Thursday, December 2nd, 2010

The United States still struggles hard to reassert its former superiority over the Latin American nations. But the economic thrust, political élan, optimism and promise many once saw as the qualities bequeathed to his republic by George Washington are to be found more and more often throughout modern Latin America.

Led by a new generation of politicians, these countries are realising that the cards are beginning to be stacked in their favour for the first time since diamonds from Brazil and precious metals from Mexico and Peru financed European empires at a time when there was hardly a single university in North America. They are acquiring greater international importance by the day.

The International Monetary Fund, no friend of democracy in the region, has said that Latin America should grow at almost 6 per cent this year and that growth must be “very robust” in future.

Brazil, with massive new discoveries of offshore oil, will not take long to join the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries: It is already a more important trade partner for China than the US.
Washington would dearly love to see the back of President Hugo Chávez in Venezuela for his bumptious rejection of US hegemony. It failed in the attempt it made to topple him in 2002. Now the Americans realise that to try again could risk losing a vital source of crude oil.

More:
http://www.tribunemagazine.co.uk/2010/12/changing-the-guard-in-america%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98backyard%E2%80%99/