Back in April, when President Obama attended the Summit of the Americas, he had some very powerful words to say about how he wants to do things differently in our relationships with the countries of South America.
All of us must now renew the common stake that we have in one another. I know that promises of partnership have gone unfulfilled in the past, and that trust has to be earned over time. While the United States has done much to promote peace and prosperity in the hemisphere, we have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms. But I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership. There is no senior partner and junior partner in our relations; there is simply engagement based on mutual respect and common interests and shared values. So I’m here to launch a new chapter of engagement that will be sustained throughout my administration.
That is a direct challenge to the way that the US has most often operated in the past. So I, for one, will be watching to see if Obama lives up to the lofty rhetoric.
But regardless, the leaders of many South American countries are moving forward to let us know that our history of dictating terms in their countries will no longer be tolerated. Many of them seem to welcome the change the Obama administration has brought to the table, but they are not merely standing by passively to wait for demonstrated changes in US policy.
I have been watching one of these leaders, Rafael Correa, President of Ecuador, for a couple of years. Back in 2006, he responded to the pulse of the people of Ecuador by running on a platform that stressed his commitment to ending the lease of the United States military base in Manta, Ecuador. What caught my eye was this.
"We'll renew the base on one condition: that they let us put a base in Miami -- an Ecuadorean base," Correa said in an interview during a trip to Italy.
"If there's no problem having foreign soldiers on a country's soil, surely they'll let us have an Ecuadorean base in the United States."
Now there's a man who understands how to challenge US hegemony!!!!!
And Correa lived up to that campaign promise. I am happy to say that, as of this past Friday, September 18, 2009, the US military base at Manta, Ecuador is closed. There are now NO US military bases in South America.
Of course, this particular victory was met with another challenge...namely that the US is now finalizing plans to relocate these operations in Colombia, where we will have access to seven of their military bases. Contrary to what we've heard in the US about this, it is not just Hugo Chavez who is concerned about this development, even as his rhetoric about it is the most inflammatory. Other leaders, such as Correa of Ecuador, Lula de Silva of Brazil, and Fernandez of Argentina have expressed serious concerns.
If Obama is going to live up to his rhetoric, I certainly think that one place to do that would be to talk to these heads of state and be responsive to their concerns. But I suspect that whether he wants to pay attention or not, the people of these countries are tired of our dominance in their lives and politics and their leaders will be taking up the cause one way or the other. For example, in response to this news about Columbia, President Fernando Lugo recently announced that they have revoked plans for US troops to hold several joint military exercises and development projects in Paraguay.
As many countries in South America flex their newly acquired democratic muscle, I suspect that the MIC and corporate interests in the US will apply tremendous pressure to maintain the status quo. That's why I'll be supporting President Obama in following through on his promises of engagement and partnership. These leaders (and the people they represent) mean business and I think we're all better off if we find ways to cooperate.
The battle between the interests of the people vs the interests of the MIC/corporatists is not just happening here in the US - its also happening in our relationships around the world...most notably with the countries of South America. I'll be joining our brothers and sisters in these countries to do everything I can to ensure that we stand on the side of the people this time.