FEBRUARY 23, 2008 - Latin America: Shift to the Left

Please join BIAHC at the Bainbridge Public Library (1270 Madison Ave. N.) on Saturday, February 23, from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. for coffee, refreshments, a 30-minute video, and a Great Decisions community discussion on this timely issue.

Great Decisions is a nation-wide program of the Foreign Policy Association to broaden public involvement with the most important foreign policy issues facing the United States.

While enjoying coffee and pastries, participants first view a 30-minute Foreign Policy Association DVD of a conversation between two experts on the topic to be discussed. To assist with advance preparation, please review the relevant chapter of the Great Decisions briefing book, which is available at the Bainbridge Public Library. Copies can also be purchased from BIAHC for $15.

The remaining discussions are scheduled to take place at the library on March 8, March 22, April 5, April 19, May 3, and May 17. At the end of each session, participants select the topic for the next session. Anyone with a particular interest or expertise in a topic is welcome to take on the role of moderator.

THE 2008 DISCUSSION TOPICS ARE:

• Talking to Our Enemies – Feb. 9
• European Union at 50 – Mar. 8
• Iraq End-Game  - May 17
• U.S. Defense & Security Policy (TBA)
• Latin America: Shift to the Left? - Feb. 23
• U.S. - China Trade Policy – Mar. 22
• Private Philanthropy (TBA)

Please contact BIAHC at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it to be added to the Great Decisions email list for updates on the topic schedule and to receive topic background information.  More information about Great Decisions at the Library is here >>

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Suggested background readings for Latin America: Shift to the Left (February 23):

Great Decisions Online Resources, including three interviews with Ambassadors to the U.S. from Chili, Brazil, and Venezuela. www.fpa.org

Latin America's Left Turn. Foreign Affairs, May/June 2006. By Jorge G. Castaneda. With all the talk of Latin America's turn to the left, few have noticed that there are really two lefts in the region. One has radical roots but is now open-minded and modern; the other is close-minded and stridently populist. Rather than fretting over the left's rise in general, the rest of the world should focus on fostering the former rather than the latter -- because it is exactly what Latin America needs. www.foreignaffairs.org

“South America and the US: How to Fix a Broken Relationship.” Statement of Michael Shifter, Vice President for Policy, Inter-American Dialogue and Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University, before the House Committee on Foreign AffairsJune 19, 2007. www.thedialogue.org

Hugo Chávez: A Test for U.S. Policy, A Special Report of the Inter-American Dialogue. March 8, 2007. The relationship with Venezuela poses a major challenge for U.S. policy in the hemisphere, but Washington has shown little skill or consistency when dealing with Hugo Chávez. The report, by Michael Shifter, vice-president for policy at The Dialogue, offers ten guidelines to help U.S. government officials formulate a more coherent approach to the complex Venezuelan situation and build a more effective presence in the region. www.thedialogue.org

The Americas, Together at Last? The Paradoxes of Latin America. The American Interest. January/February 2008. By Mario Vargas Llosa. The balkanization of Latin America, unlike what took place in North America, where the Thirteen Colonies became the United States, has been one of the conspicuous factors in its underdevelopment. It has engendered nationalism, war and conflict, bleeding its nations and wasting natural resources that could have been used for modernization and progress. www.the-american-interest.com

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