Narcotics Militarized responses: Operation Intercept (1969 Mexico); Operation Just Cause (1989 Panama); Plan Colombia ( Colombia); Mérida Initiative ( Mexico and Central America) Mexico: Institutional and state weakness - functional vacuums? Martial law? Narco-trafficking profits, US banks and global recession? Money laundering…foreign direct investments?

Illegal Immigration to US US Dept. of Homeland Security CountryNo.%Change ( ) Mexico 6,650, % El Salvador 530, % Guatemala 480, % Honduras 320, % Philippines 270, % India 200, % Korea 200, % Other (balance) 2,145,000 20

Migration US: Cheap labour for agricultural crops and low skilled labourers. Increasing anti-immigrant sentiment in poorer states. –More radical policy responses (minutemen, the fence). Hispanic voters? Latin America: Brain drain when highly skilled workers leave. Vulnerability and abuse of migrants on journey and in US. Remittances.

Hispanic Voters in the US Fastest growing minority. Will soon be the largest voting minority. Large majority of registered Hispanic voters identify as Democrats (65%). Republicans and anti-immigrant rhetoric. What will this mean for US politics? –The role of interest and lobby groups on foreign policy matters, i.e. the Cuban exiles. For future US elections?

The rise of leftist politics Contrary to global trends, Latina America has experienced the rise of leftist politics over the last fifteen years. No longer as threatening to the United States as during the Cold War. –Latin American left is pragmatic, pro-market and interested in good relations with the US, even if less subservient.

Conclusions US policy has constrained Latin American options numerous times in the 20th century. But US interference also provided easy scapegoat to distract attention from region’s own internal failures: –Has led to widespread anti-American feeling in many sectors of civil society. Now? Barack Obama and more benign relationship? Hence new left leaders looking elsewhere or among themselves. –But contemporary problems require cooperation and cooperating with the US on all sorts of issues is crucial, but for the US as well it is crucial to adopt a more conciliatory approach towards Latin America.