Munoz: U.S., South America distanced

Latin America is more than just a left-leaning, anti-American bastion south of the border, Chilean U.N. Ambassador Heraldo Munoz argued yesterday during a lecture in Robertson Hall.

Munoz, who has held his current post since 2003, focused his comments on the challenges of integrating North and South America. He also discussed Latin America's relationship with the United States.

"There's no such anti-American sentiment in the region, and there's not any single development model in Latin America," Munoz said, responding to recent characterizations of Latin American nations as hostile to the United States and influenced by Marxist ideology. "They're not going red, but into the multiple colors of the rainbow."

Munoz added that there is more variety than uniformity in Latin American political systems, citing governments that are traditionally leftist, populist and moderate.

He also mentioned the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela and Hugo Chavez's ascendance to leadership in that nation but rejected the idea that this signals a broader political trend in the region. "This is not a Cuban Revolution we're seeing," Munoz said. "It's part of a fad because Venezuela has oil money," and thus, power and influence.

Describing the friction between the United States and some Latin American countries in response to Venezuela's leftist shift, Munoz noted that Latin American countries "don't want to be forced to choose to be either with Venezuela and Chavez or with the United States." Instead, he said, they seek to have relations with both Venezuela and the United States for pragmatic reasons.

Munoz also said that Latin American countries differ in many ways, citing trade agreements and political differences. For instance, he said, the recently adopted Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) may have sharpened the separation between Central America and South America.

Coordinating energy use among Latin American countries is another critical issue in the region, Munoz said. While there has been talk of implementing measures to foster more shared use of resources, "we have not seen signs of cooperation," Munoz said. He cited Brazil as one Latin American country that does not seem interested in energy integration, saying that the country insists instead on building and developing its own sources of power.

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Munoz also described a "silent integration" that he said is occurring among different Latin America nations, citing factors such as the sharing of phone lines and investments that he said help unite the region. "What is often seen as a Latin America divided is the reality of states pursuing their diverse interests in a changing world," he said. "You have a lot more pragmatism than meets the eye."

Speaking on Latin American relations with the United States, Munoz acknowledged that "there has been a distancing — a rift" between the regions. He attributed this trend to multiple factors, however, rejecting the conventional wisdom that disagreements over the war in Iraq and international law have been the main reasons for the parting of ways.

Munoz cited differences in political philosophy as well as practical interests that he said have led to the distancing between the United States and Latin America. Whereas economic growth and terrorism may be the United States' top priorities, Munoz said, the Latin American agenda focuses on goals including combating drugs, crime and poverty.

He also cited what he called the irrelevancy of Latin America in President Bush's eyes in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001 as a factor that has contributed to the rift.

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Additionally, Munoz said, there is a philosophical gap between the United States and Latin America. Americans often focus on economic growth as the key to success, he said, while Latin American democracies tend to emphasize social equality and cohesion.

"Yes, we need economic growth," Munoz said, "but it's not sufficient."