We at the Center for Democracy in the Americas believe that the moment to reform and renew U.S. policy toward the Americas has come.
In our work in Cuba, Venezuela, Chile, and beyond, we try to awaken policymakers to these simple facts: We share a common border and a range of common interests with the people of the Americas. Their challenges affect the security and well-being of us all, and require a U.S. foreign policy that is respectful, creative, and grounded in our greatest values.
For years, U.S. policy toward this region has consisted of little more than demonizing leaders it cannot depose, railing against developments it cannot control, and pursuing policies designed in Washington that are increasingly irrelevant for our neighbors throughout the hemisphere.
As a result, the people of the Americas are blazing a strikingly separate path, one that properly reflects their sovereignty, but that also leaves us estranged from the people of our own region and the problems that face us all.
It's time for a new course that reconciles our mutual interests:
- The U.S. needs a new policy toward Cuba, one that reflects the national interest rather than a backward view of the Cold War or the exaggerated strength of one Florida constituency. Make no mistake: reforming this policy will help change the image of the United States across Latin America.
- The U.S. must get serious about income inequality in the Americas, a problem that has not been addressed by simply increasing trade, a problem that in turn drives everything from illegal migration to gangs to instability.
- The U.S. needs a fast and thorough education about how debates like the one on immigration and the votes to construct a wall divide us from the region and reverberate against us.
- Perhaps most importantly, our government must stop dictating to the nations of the Americas and start listening to them as the neighbors they are and the partners they are largely eager to be.
This is what the CDA is working to achieve. We believe that there is an increasing demand for new approaches and a rising receptivity among policymakers to look at the region with fresh eyes. That is what our work is all about.
Executive Director
The Center for Democracy in the Americas
