César Gaviria, President of Colombia from 1990 to 1994 and Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1994 until 2004, talks to Brunswick Partner Rurik Ingram about the region’s role in the world.
Q. Why is Latin America punching below its economic weight in terms of visibility and impact on the world stage? A. Perhaps we would be more important on the world stage if we had been part of the world economic crisis – but we are not. Today the weight you have depends on the capacity you have to create news that brings world attention. That said, Brazil and also Mexico are starting to be recognized because of their economic dimension. Some people have even been suggesting that an M (for Mexico) should be added to the BRIC acronym.
Q. Would the other 22 countries be well served by having one natural champion (e.g. Brazil) speaking on behalf of the region? A. Latin America feels relatively comfortable with Brazil talking on its behalf. It would be an appropriate reflection of Latin America’s might in economic and political affairs if Brazil became a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
Q. How can organizations like the Organization of American States (OAS) improve Latin America’s image and reputation? A. Unfortunately Latin America has fragmented politically in the last period of President Bush – this has distanced us from the United States in a way that is very damaging to the work of the Organization of American States (OAS). We need to rebuild confidence and trust between the US and the rest of the Americas (not just Latin America) to facilitate the work of the Secretariat. Perhaps we need another plan like the 1961 Alliance for Progress initiated by President Kennedy to promote economic co-operation. The OAS is an umbrella organization that covers all the inter-American institutions and agreements and is a very important force for economic and political progress and for inter-American relations.
Q. How can Latin America best reach out to the Obama Administration and take advantage of the new mood in Washington? Is it time for Latin Americans to throw off any lingering but deep-rooted “anti gringo” hostility? A. There is no doubt that there is a new beginning, a change in attitude and language, and more mutual respect, all of which raises the possibility of improving relations in a very significant way. The US State Department needs to engage more with the Americas.
Q. Where are the biggest gaps in understanding between Latin America and the rest of the world – and how can they be bridged? A. I don’t think the gap is that big. But we need to recognize that there is still an anti-capitalism sentiment within the region that makes economic change difficult in Latin America. We also find it very difficult to reform state and public institutions and that does not help to confront the challenges of globalization. We need to modernize our political institutions, some of which still have a legacy of the 19th century about them.
Q. What advice would you give China on image building in Latin America (given that its influence is growing but not always favorably as far as the locals are concerned)? Have the Chinese replaced Spain as the new conquistadors? A. There is goodwill for co-operation with China. Chinese investment is important for the region and my advice to them would be to make a real effort to make trade robust and to buy Latin American goods.
Q. How well do you think the international media covers Latin America? A. It’s the same with the media all over the world. The coverage is about our political and social failures and very little about the things in which we are successful. Yet compared to just a few years ago the progress of democracy on the whole has been enormous and the growth of trade and investment will serve to level social inequalities.
Q. “Those leaders in the region most opposed to global economic integration are often the best communicators.” Do you agree and, if so, what lessons do you take away from this? A. Anti-globalization is more popular than globalization across the region. Leaders in Latin America are trying to explain challenges, how to deal with them, and how to combat some of the negative consequences of globalization including the low benefits for unskilled workers and for non-exporting regions. It is important to differentiate between trade globalization and the bad results of financial globalization.