Directors Cynthia Arnson and Duncan Wood are quoted in an article about US-Latin American economic relations, following President Obama's recent trip to the region. (in Spanish)
...Statistics show that Latin America is a growing continent. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL) forecasts a GDP rise of 3.5% in the region. Mexico will grow by the same percentage, driven by the U.S. economy. According to analysts, the U.S. could participate in this growth, with new trade pacts that are developing in the region such as the Pacific Alliance, which includes Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico, and plans to incorporate Asia, other global growth point.
"Underneath it all, there is the belief that the increase in exports and deepening of relations with the region will be the key to U.S. economic growth and competitiveness in the long term," said Cindy Arnson, Director of the Latin American Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington-based organization. "It is true that Senator John Kerry, the current Secretary of State, was wrong to refer to the region as the 'U.S.'s backyard.' But that view means maintaing a close and productive relationship with the region, something the United States clearly needs to do United States. "
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Mexico, the key ally
"Among the officials in Washington, the common phrase today is that every week is "Mexico's week," he said in an interview with CNNMéxico Duncan Wood, Director of the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center. "Prior to this tour, several senior Mexican officials paraded through Washington. And now Obama visits that country in his second tour abroad during his tenure, and this indicates that Latin America has to be a priority in his foreign policy. Mexico offers manufacturing integration possibilities, is a country that advances in competitiveness and productivity. There is a very active agenda between the two countries," he said.
The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action. Read more
The Mexico Institute seeks to improve understanding, communication, and cooperation between Mexico and the United States by promoting original research, encouraging public discussion, and proposing policy options for enhancing the bilateral relationship. A binational Advisory Board, chaired by Luis Téllez and Earl Anthony Wayne, oversees the work of the Mexico Institute. Read more
