Secretary Hillary Clinton Visits More Latin American Countries than Past Secretaries in First 18 Months

Submitted by Ana Maria Vidal on 7/30/10

According to The Washington Post, Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has dedicated more time to Latin America and the Caribbean than past secretaries. 

In the first 18 months of the Obama Administration, Secretary Clinton has visited 17 countries in the region. 

 

Not only has the United States increased its presence in the Americas, we have also received many visits from politicians from throughout the region.

For example, Mexican President Felipe Calderón was the second world leader to visit the President Obama after his election. Dominican President Leonel Fernández is the most recent Caribbean dignitary, visiting the White House this past Monday.  Just this month, Assistant Secretary of State, Arturo Valenzuela, met with Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, Peruvian President Alan Garcia and Chilean Chancellor Alfredo Moreno.

A year ago at the Summit of the Americas, President Obama outlined four pillars of U.S. engagement in the region: democratic governance, social inclusion, citizen security and clean energy.  The Administration has been carrying out its strategy since:

  • The US' role as mediator in the Honduras coup last year as well the Administration’s willingness to re-establish migration talks and direct mail service with Cuba are examples of democratic governance efforts.
  • New programs like Pathways to Prosperity and Obra Initiative: Youth-At-Risk support women entrepreneurs and youngsters from all over the region.  Assistant Secretary of State, Arturo Valenzuela, reminded us at NDN three weeks ago that these socio-economic inclusive initiatives are a meant to address the inequalities uncovered by trade agreements.
  • Lastly, the Climate Partnership of the Americas, which was officially launched at the Summit of the Americas, serves as a forum for countries to share ideas, best practices and success stories of programs that will help create a cleaner space for people throughout the region.

 The graph above shows a clear difference of what can be done in terms of providing better leadership and engagement. There is no doubt that there is still much to do, not only 'for', but 'with' Latin America  However, if travel statistics are any indication of a region's importance, Latin America and the Caribbean once again figure prominently into US diplomatic priorities.