More  Symposium Notes of Interest

4/22/2026

My last blog from the symposium .... Looking over my notes from what the speakers had to say, here are a few more interesting take-aways for me, from all of them:

·       The Monroe doctrine – the U.S. foreign policy that declares the Western Hemisphere “closed” to European influence because it is in the United States’ sphere of influence only – is challenged by the strides China has made in Latin America.

·       The last several months have seen a dramatic shift in the United States’ influence in Latin America. President Trump has exerted power in ways that have not been seen in over a century. Latin American leaders and countries need to decide what to do about the United States’ actions that have violated international law.

·       If, for decades, U.S. influence in Latin America had a goal of supporting more democratic political and economic development, there are now countries in Latin America (like Chile and Argentina) that embrace democratic ideals more than the U.S.  Currently, the United States is not living up to its own ideals.

·       Jair Bolsonaro, former President of Brazil, was more friendly to the U.S. and more hostile to China. President Trump liked that approach, so he has been imposing tariffs on Brazilian goods supposedly out of revenge to the way the country is treating Bolsonaro.

·       Families in Latin America want democracy, but what they want more is security for their families, and to keep their families fed, clothed and safe. Leaders who are trying to rise to power and push democratic ideals have to decide whether the safety of their families is worth it.

·       The Shield of the Americas summit organized by President Trump had some useful components, such as the need for security for the region and transnational organized crime fighting, but ultimately, if the goal was to protect against world influence in the Western Hemisphere, it did not detail sufficiently how to protect against China’s influence over Latin America.  Also, giving enforcement of the rule of law over to the military means taking it away from local law enforcement, and thereby weakening countries’ ability to govern, protect, and impose order themselves. In Mexico, one speaker thought this has happened and it has not led to a reduction in violence, and it has led to an increase in human rights abuses.

·       Oddly, the Shield of the Americas summit left out Brazil, Columbia and Mexico, which are substantial countries among the 33 Latin American countries.

·       Maduro’s replacement in Venezuela is a good thing, but the new leader is not what is being presented. The entire region needs to cooperate to make the most out of Venezuela and it cannot be just a U.S. project.

·       Latin America needs to seize the opportunities within the new technological advances (e.g., Artificial Intelligence) like it did when the internet/ecommerce emerged. Latin America needs to be a part of that, and take advantage of it. Where there is global growth, local Latin American businesses must grow with it, and not simply be avenues for extractive practices globally. 

·       Latin American countries will need to form strategic alliances and act together, but China will inevitably be part of the conversation.

·       Latin America and the position of the Spanish speaking population in the world cannot be ignored, but Latin America has to avoid “extract and leave” policies (note to self: this sound like it should be another chapter in Why Nations Fail). Its key local players need to partner with major consumer facing players and not simply be vessels for “use” only.