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A view from The Economist: ‘US and Latin America, nobody’s backyard’
Under the heading of “The United States and Latin America: Nobody’s backyard”, The Economist publishes one of its leading articles, supported by special pieces dedicated to the region’s potentialities, recent successes and shortcomings, mainly triumphalism and complacency. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesYet another big smelly bucket of horse manure from the Economist....
Sep 12th, 2010 - 08:20 am - Link - Report abuse 0“the more open the United States is towards Latin America, the greater the chances of creating the prosperity which in the end is the best protection against conflict and disorder”
Sep 12th, 2010 - 09:58 am - Link - Report abuse 0Wrong, I live in the US and I can tell you with certainty that dealing with illegal immigrants isn't an issue for them. What is seemingly “beyond their control” is allowed to happen because it's convenient, illegal immigrants do what no one else would for a fraction of the cost. The only reason they pass laws against illegals is to satisfy the bigots and nationalists who don't even know what the hell they're talking about. I hear things like “well, they don't even pay taxes!!”. Well, if you get payed by check your income tax is deducted automatically, and if you're illegal you don't get a penny back at the end of the year. If you get payed under the table the employer can pay you whatever he wants, in which case he is the one not paying taxes. The only reason recent laws against illegal immigration have been passed is because of unemployment, that's where the extra pressure comes from.
How exactly does the US benefit from the prosperity of South America? If it were up to them South America would go back to the stone age. And how many times did this article mention Hugo Chavez? Cleverly spacing it out throughout the article, there was no vail.. editor, no subtlety.
Fernando,
Sep 12th, 2010 - 12:42 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I don´t agree much on the article´s point that the US should do more about Latin America, I am not sure we need the US to do somethings for us more than we need ourselves to more things for our own sake.
Inmigrants, legal or illegal, make three or four times as much in the US as they would do in Latin America, not all the jobs they take are minor little jobs american´s don´t want, in fact many americans are unemployed precisely because a lot of these inmigrants are skilled and prepared to take on their jobs for a lower pay, but that pay is still much higher than in our countries and that´s very reason why they moved overthere, but yet another powerful motive is the high upwards social mobility of the US society.
Many inmigrants who first arrived as illegal imigrants, later got some form of regularization, be it because of an amnesty, like the one Reagan signed in 1986, or because they were petitioned by a US firm to get their residence. Many of them are now prosperous people and it is a fact that the latino population in the US is one of the largest latin american markets in the world with high purchasing power. Many Mexican Americans, Cuban Americans, Puerto Ricans, Argentinians, and other inmigrants are now successful businessmen, atletes, artists, singers, even senators, congressmen, city mayors. Obama himself is the son of an inmigrant just like Dilma in Brazil. That single fact speaks volumes about a society´s openness.
The article is condescending crap, really. Not that one can expect anything different from The Economist when it comes to LatAm.
Sep 12th, 2010 - 01:30 pm - Link - Report abuse 0So, the only thing that needs to be changed about the US attitude toward LatAm is its stance on immigration? There would be more welcome changes, you know. Ceasing to militarize the region, in an obvious attempt to compensate waning economic influence with military presence; ceasing to try to overthrow leaders it dislikes; ceasing to get involved in the countries internal affairs by buying that country's opposition members: this is more relevant change. Corruption, caudillos, wannabe dictators - yes, these are factors that threaten the region's political stability. But another factor is US interventionism.
“More sensible powers, notably Brazil, should be much louder opponents of this nonsense.”
Except that Brazil's current leadership's opinion of the US isn't any better than that of Venezuela's leaders. And this is not “nonsense.” US interventionism is real; it has been recently experienced by Brazil itself: the US tried to influence the Brazilian 2006 elections. That Lula hasn't shown open resentment towards the US, only goes to show what a pragmatist he is. But that doesn't mean he has any illusions about the US role in the region.
Jose,
Sep 12th, 2010 - 05:59 pm - Link - Report abuse 0You're right, and I'm not saying that all immigrants succumb to the same fate, I was just trying to make a point of how out of touch with reality this article really is. As far as the pay-rate, it is higher but so is the cost of living. If you were to compare pay-rates in the US to those of South America based on the exchange-rate that would be irrelevant, because typically what costs 1 peso in Argentina costs 1 dollar in the US, (it varies). Some things are cheaper in comparison, such as food, but most other things are the same or even higher, such as rent, fuel and air-travel. Air fare from Denver, Co to Washington DC could cost you between $500 and $600, while you could easily pay the same for a nonstop flight to Europe.
“I am not sure we need the US to do somethings for us more than we need ourselves to more things for our own sake.”
Exactly,
“Getting these things right will be easier if relations with the United States improve.”
No, screw that. South America needs to rely on ITSELF FIRST, then see what is convenient and what isn't. We come first, if the US doesn't like it that's their problem. We're perfectly capable of producing everything we need, and I do mean EVERYTHING, no exceptions.
What South Americans need to change is their attitudes, their retrograde inferiority complex... this whole “well it's the US, what are you going to do??” Shut up and wake the f--k up, that's what you're going to do.
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