Raul Castro, Hugo Chavez, Felipe Calderon and non-government institutions such as banks will play a major role in shaping the face of Latin America in the coming year. That was the general consensus of panelists speaking at “Latin America in 2007: What’s next?”a program offered Saturday at the American Bar Association Midyear Meeting in Miami.
Expert panelists Brian Latell, University of Miami; Carlos Ramos Miranda, a partner in a Mexico City law firm; John Pate, a partner in a Caracas, Venezuela firm; and James Spinner, general counsel for the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C. addressed the status of Latin America and where it is headed.
Latell, author of the first biography of Raul Castro, discussed Castro’s recent appointment as head of the Cuban government and his strategy for the future. Latell conveyed that Castro differs from his brother, Fidel, in that he wants to implement change, especially when it comes to bettering relations between the U. S. and Cuba. Latell added that Raul is favoring China’s current model of social/political organization.
Although there’s been great reform in Mexico over the past 15 years, Miranda contends that there’s much to be done in this divided country, and believes that the enforcement of the rule of law and the justice system will be imperative to Mexico’s future. Currently, 20 percent of its population lives in extreme poverty and 90 percent are illiterate. Felipe Calderon of the PAN party was recently elected president by less than 1percent He embodies Mexico’s hope for change in the coming months.
Pate had a more bleak depiction of Venezuela’s state, relaying Chavez’s fascination and admiration for Fidel Castro’s governing model. According to Pate, Chavez wants to move Venezuela away from a democratic state to more of what he terms as ‘21st century socialism.’ Chavez recently declared in the news that he will be aggressive and forceful in moving his country in that direction. Pate said that Chavez’ plans to nationalize most utilities, modify the constitution and change Venezuela’s dependant relationship with the United States in terms of oil consumption.
Spinner focused on Columbia’s state of affairs, saying that although 2006 statistics show economic growth across the board due to state reform, major improvements need to be made overall. Job opportunities are down and extreme poverty is less than 15 percent. In order to improve the current state, he contends that institutional reform of the state is imperative, requiring large investments in infrastructure, as is the need to alleviate poverty and social issues in Columbia’s centralist state.