Executive Memorandum posted May 19, 1999 by John P. Sweeney
Storm Clouds in South America
While the Clinton Administration
concentrates on Kosovo, storm clouds are gathering closer to home
in South America, where an outbreak of economic and political
turmoil during the first four months of 1999 has raised concerns
about the region's democratic stability. This series of crises
follows more than two consecutive years during which economic
freedom, as…
Backgrounder posted March 26, 1999 by John P. Sweeney
Tread Cautiously in Colombia's Civil War
The marriage of communist insurgency and drug
trafficking in Colombia, the world's largest producer of coca leaf
and cocaine, has elevated a decades-old civil conflict into a
dangerous war that now threatens stability in Latin America. It
also endangers vital U.S. interests in the region, including the
war on drugs.
Colombia produces 80 percent of the
cocaine…
Backgrounder posted September 25, 1996 by John P. Sweeney
Restoring American Leadership in Latin America and the Caribbean
INTRODUCTION
Latin America has bounced back from the economic meltdown caused
by the Mexican peso on December 20, 1994, but the United States has
not. The democracies of Latin America have stayed on course with
free-market reforms, trade liberalization policies, and efforts to
create a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). However, the U.S.
appears to have turned…
Backgrounder Update posted November 21, 1995 by John P. Sweeney
Putting NAFTA's Expansion Back on a Fast Track
(Archived document, may contain errors) 11/21/95 265 PUTTING NAFTA'S EXPANSION BACK ON A FAST TRACK (Updating Backgrounder 1027, "Putting Trade with Asia and Latin America.on a Fast Track," March 23, 1995.) Ayear ago, the United States had a clear vision of where it was going in Latin America. The U.S. was dedicated to spreading free trade throughout the Western…
Backgrounder posted March 23, 1995 by Robert P. O'Quinn, John P. Sweeney
Putting Trade With Asia and Latin America On A Fast Track
Introduction
The United States has made significant progress in the past two
years toward expanding free trade. Both the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and legislation implementing the Uruguay
Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) have
been approved by Congress and signed into law by the President.
Yet, forces are at work in…
Backgrounder posted March 21, 1995 by John P. Sweeney
Colombia's Narco-Democracy Threatens Hemispheric Security
Introduction
For the first time since 1986, when the U.S. started passing
judgment on the counternarcotics efforts of 29 major drug-producing
and drug-transit countries, Colombia this year received a failing
grade. However, on February 28, President Clinton issued a
"national interest waiver" exempting it from this failing grade. As
a result, Colombia will be…
Backgrounder posted November 10, 1994 by John P. Sweeney
Why the Cuban Trade Embargo Should Be Maintained
Introduction
With the end of the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet
Union, there has been a growing chorus of cries for the United
States to lift the economic embargo on Cuba. This chorus has
included even such responsible anti-communist voices as those of
former President Richard Nixon and the editorial page of The Wall
Street Journal. Such calls are curious,…