1. Latin American Current issues
Lesson #3

2. Current Issues in Latin America
Disparity of Wealth
America’s involvement
Drugs and drug trafficking
Illegal Immigration
Current Trade issues

3. Disparity of Wealth

4. The Richest man in Latin America
Carlos Slim Helú [ˈkaɾlos esˈlim eˈlu];
a Mexican business magnate, investor, and philanthropist
From 2010 to 2013, Slim was ranked as the richest person in the world.
Known as the "Warren Buffett of Mexico“
has extensive holdings in a number of Mexican companies
has amassed a fortune in the fields of
communications, real estate, airlines, media, technology, retailing, and finance. Currently the chairperson and chief executive of Latin America's largest mobile-phone carrier in 2010
His net worth as of December 2014 is estimated at $72.6 billion.
Top five richest men in the World (1915)
Bill Gates (net worth $76 billion),
Carlos Slim Helu (net worth $72 billion)
Amancio Ortega (net worth $64 billion)
(Spanish fashion executive )
Warren Buffett (net worth $58.2 billion)
Larry Ellison (net worth $48 billion).
He’s dropped to #7 as of 2017:

5. Poverty in Latin America

6. Pablo Escobar
Was a notorious and wealthy Colombian drug lord and an exclusive cocaine trafficker.
In 1983, he had a short-lived career in Colombian politics
click

7. America’s involvement

8. Reason to build the canal
Click – 2 min trip through canal

9. America’s greatest structure:
Click – how the locks work

10. How they built the canal
Click – building the canal

11. PANAMA CANAL

12. Expansion project

13. What gives us authority to meddle in Latin America?

14. Monroe Doctrine

15. Example in modern times:
Iran-contra affair, in U.S. history, secret arrangement in the 1980s to provide funds to the Nicaraguan contra rebels from profits gained by selling arms to Iran.
The Iran-contra affair was the product of two separate initiatives during the administration of President Ronald Reagan

16. Is the Monroe Doctrine now “over”?
Secretary of State John Kerry to the Organization of American States (OAS) (2013):
U.S. has “asserted our authority to step in and oppose the influence of European powers in Latin America. And throughout our nation’s history, successive presidents have reinforced that doctrine and made a similar choice.”
The policy has been a backbone of U.S. foreign policy both in the Western Hemisphere and abroad since it was delivered in December 1823.
“Today, however, we have made a different choice. The era of the Monroe Doctrine is over…. The relationship that we seek and that we have worked hard to foster is not about a United States declaration about how and when it will intervene in the affairs of other American states. It’s about all of our countries viewing one another as equals,
Does this represent a dramatic break in American foreign policy?

17. Drugs and Drug Trafficking

18. Drug Products Mainly three drugs are exported from the region
Cocaine from Columbia, Peru, Bolivia
Coca is ONLY found in Andes
Marijuana from Jamaica
Heroin from Columbia (from opium poppies)

19. I. Drug Trade from Latin America
Plants used to produce drugs
Poppy Plant
Coca Plant
For Opium
For Cocaine

20. Results of Drug Trade Effects of Cocaine
$51 billion cost to government / year
1.5 million arrests / year
2 million currently in jail for drug crimes
(1/100 of population – most in world)
Effects of Heroin
(an opiate)

21. Drug Smuggling 90% of all US cocaine enters via Mexico
was via the Caribbean into Florida
United States imports 75 % of their exports
The major drug trafficking organizations
(drug cartels) are Mexican and Colombian
generate $20 to $40 billion
“Mules” are used to carry drugs
click
Bricks of Cocaine

22. Where it drugs come from

23. … and where they go…

25. How drugs get here

26. The Old Way:

27. The new way: narco-submarine
click

28. The narco-sub, not submerged…

29. To stop drug importation:

32. Increase in last couple years

33. What’s the answer? How do we slow/stop importation?

34. II. ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Smuggling
Trafficking
click

35. Definitions false pretenses pays for assistance
Trafficking – a person is trafficked if
she/he agrees under
to relocate for employment reasons
and is forced into involuntary forms of
Labor
Smuggling – a person is smuggled if
she/he seeks and
to cross borders without documents,
but is allegedly free once arriving in
the new country
false pretenses
pays for assistance

36. Definitions false pretenses Trafficking – a person is trafficked if
she/he agrees under
to relocate for employment reasons
and is forced into involuntary forms of
Labor
false pretenses

37. Definitions pays for assistance Smuggling – a person is smuggled if
she/he seeks and
to cross borders without documents,
but is allegedly free once arriving in
the new country
pays for assistance

38. Why do people sneak into the US?
The main reason people CHOOSE to break the law and illegally immigrate is for
and for jobs that Mexico does not have.
higher wages

39. Smuggling
Smuggling means someone helps the illegal into the US.
That person is called
Coyotes charge from $300 to $50,000 per person.
Often, the price is so high, the illegal will spend years of FORCED LABOR paying off debt.
Sometimes… forever…
coyotes

40. Common Sites of Forced Labor
Agriculture and food processing
Construction
Domestic Workers
Restaurants
Assembly plants
Garment and textile workers
Sex industry

41. Estimates of Force Labor
Exact figures are difficult to calculate because
trafficking is illegal and hidden
women, men and children are victims of forced labor yearly
1.4 million are in commercial sex work
760,000 are economically exploited
600,000 are in mixed commercially and sexually exploited
2.4 million

42. Human Trafficking 4 million 7-10 billion
Human Trafficking – Modern slavery
Over persons trafficked a year – U.N. estimate
dollar a year illegal industry
Third largest illegal industry in the world (drugs and arms sales)
4 million
7-10 billion

43. What are we doing about it?
The Justice Department created a unit to pursue human trafficking cases
The FBI currently has 212 ongoing human trafficking investigations
The Justice Department has initiated 60 investigations in the past four months.
Last year, federal prosecutors charged 222 defendants and won 98 convictions.

44. Image analysis

45. Combination of maps and graphs
What does this image show about the relationship we have with Mexico?

46. Current Trade Look for details… Who do these guys represent?
What are these guys doing that might not be good for us?
Who is this?
Who does he represent?

48. Friday documentaries Human Trafficking (45min)

49. Commercial break
(… in case you were having a bad day…)