The Obama Administration and the Americas: Agenda for Change

Chapter 3: Supporting Democracy in the Americas

The mere fact of Barack Hussein Obama’s decisive election as the first African American president can be a pivotal turning point in a much-needed repositioning of the United States’ role as an ally of democratic reform around the world. Of course, much more than an election and soaring rhetoric are needed to complete the revamping necessary to make U.S. policies to support democracy and promote human rights more credible and effective. This is particularly true in the Western Hemisphere, where democratization trends are fragile and U.S. influence is waning. The Obama administration needs to overhaul U.S. strategy for assisting democratic governance by investing serious time and resources in strengthening and, where necessary, creating new multilateral tools for supporting democratization in Latin America and around the world. This will require a significant shift in thinking, away from traditional bilateral channels of diplomatic pressure and assistance and toward multilateral cooperation with like-minded partners. Why Washington Needs to Expand Multilateral Mechanisms According to a number of polls, democracy is seen as a strongly held aspiration around the world. Most Latin Americans, like the vast majority of people from other regions, believe that democracy is better than any other form of government. But Latin Americans are largely dissatisfied with the way 47 three Supporting Democracy in the Americas: The Case for Multilateral Action Theodore J. Piccone democracy works in their countries, particularly when it comes to distributing income and providing social protections. Corruption is seen as a huge impediment to improved governance. Trust in politicians and political parties ranks particularly low. In the 2008 Latinobarómetro poll, 54 percent believed that there is more corruption in politics than in any other sector of society.1 In essence, the positive democratic trends that have unfolded in the region over the last twenty years contain serious vulnerabilities. To prevent backsliding toward authoritarian rule, democracy assistance needs to translate into tangible improvements in the judicial system, accountability of public institutions and politicians, greater transparency, and improvement in public services. Even though the United States has a vital interest in seeing a hemisphere of prosperous democratic states governed by the rule of law, its historical legacy in the region and more recent errors beyond—including conflating shortterm security objectives with longer-term democratization goals in Iraq— handicap its credibility in working toward that goal. Public opinion polls around the world show U.S. favorability ratings at historic lows, including disapproval of U.S. unilateral action and democracy promotion.2 Latin America, a region with a complicated history of hot and cold relations with Washington, is generally in sync with this global trend. Only 34 percent of respondents in a 2007 Barómetro Iberoamericano survey had a positive opinion of the United States.3 According to the 2008 Latinobar ómetro poll, President Bush was tied with Fidel Castro with a 4.3 approval rating (out of 10), followed in last place by Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, with a 4.0 rating.4 These low ratings could impair the Obama presidency.According to a special Latinobarómetro survey about the 2008 U.S. presidential election, 30 percent of those who were asked which candidate would be better for their country said that it made no difference who won the November election, and another 31 percent had no opinion.5 This widespread indifference, according to Marta Lagos, director of the poll, shows the extent to which the United States has lost influence in the region in recent years. Meanwhile, Latin American publics’ perception of other international actors is more positive. The United Nations, for example, is trusted by 57 percent of respondents to the Barómetro Iberoamericano poll, and the Organization of American States (OAS) received 40 percent approval. The European Union met with approval by an average of 48 percent, and in nine Latin American countries the score was above 50 percent (see figure 3-1).6 48 Theodore J. Piccone Supporting Democracy in the Americas 49 Figure 3-1. How Positively the Latin American Public Perceives International Organizations Organization of American States 40 16 20 30 32 36 39 41 43 47 47 47 51 52 53 58 58 62 66 71 71 73 Total Latin America Portugal Argentina Brazil Guatemala Dominican Republic Mexico United Statesa Peru Venezuela El Salvador Chile Ecuador Uruguay Bolivia Puerto Rico Panama Honduras Paraguay Nicaragua Costa Rica Colombia United Nations 57 22 39...