Remarks
Wendy Sherman
Under Secretary for Political Affairs
Remarks to the Council of the Americas and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Washington, DC
February 28, 2012
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Thank you Ambassador Negroponte for those kind words and to the Council of the Americas and the Center for Strategic and
International Studies for hosting this event. I would also like to thank the Council for its continued leadership on
hemispheric issues and for bringing together individuals from all sectors to ensure our engagement and dialogue on the
Americas is constantly evolving. We look forward to being part of the 42nd Washington Conference at the State Department
in May. I would also like to congratulate CSIS on celebrating 50 years this year of helping to find solutions to today’s
foreign policy challenges. Just less than one year ago, CSIS graciously provided an opportunity for Secretary Clinton to
share her views on the hemisphere prior to the President’s trip to the region.
I appreciate the invitation and welcome the opportunity to share some impressions from my trip to Colombia, Mexico, and
Brazil earlier this month. These countries are key regional and global players, and genuine partners, and we work
closely with them in virtually every area of policy. Given the wealth of experience represented here today, I hope to
get your views as well, as we prepare for the President’s participation in the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena in
April.
When we talk about U.S. policy and engagement in the Americas, it is critical that we think in strategic terms, of where
we need to be in ten or twenty years. Our policies in the region are building on a huge, historically significant
opportunity: to make the western hemisphere a strong platform for shared economic growth and security—regionally and
globally—that will advance our peoples’ interests for generations This is no small vision. It is shaping and reordering
our diplomacy and statecraft all over the hemisphere.
I know there are voices that say we don’t pay enough attention to Latin America, or that our “importance” there is
waning. It’s a folkloric narrative when it comes to this region, and it is also somewhat patronizing. It misses by a
mile what is really going on, and how we are forging equal partnerships with countries in the hemisphere.
I returned from this trip feeling more confident than ever about both Latin America and our role within it. I also felt
tremendously buoyed by the leadership that you see coming from so many actors in civil society, the private sector, and
local government. They understand very directly today’s opportunity, and they don’t want to waste it.
I don’t want to bore you with a travelogue, but I would like to briefly comment on each of the stops because I think it
will give you a feel for what I mean when I say that these countries are key players. Before I start, however, I want to
salute Ambassadors McKinley, Wayne, and Shannon for the truly extraordinary work they are doing to advance these
relationships. They and their excellent inter-agency country teams represent us with creativity, dignity, and
distinction.
In Colombia, I was reminded of the sheer breadth of our relationship. My conversations with President Santos and other
top officials went beyond the security themes that used to automatically top the agenda. Colombia has a dynamic economy;
positioned, some say, to become the second largest in South America, after Brazil. So we talked about our robust and
growing economic relationship, which is creating new jobs in both countries. The review process for implementing our
free trade agreement is advancing well, and already affecting the business climate in positive ways.
We talked about Colombia’s preparations for the Summit of the Americas, now a month and a half out. It’s never an easy
event for any country to pull off. Colombia’s work on this says volumes about its regional leadership, and its
commitment to the broader integration process underway throughout the region.
We also discussed Colombia’s growing regional and global outreach in support of international peace and security. For
example, over the last three years, Colombia has trained over 11,000 police from 21 countries in Latin America and
Africa, as well as Afghanistan. Colombia has also been a leader in the SICA-led Central American donor coordination
process Colombia is succeeding in leveraging its experience in the fight against cartels and terrorists in a way that
positions it as a net exporter of security far beyond its borders.
My conversations with President Santos, Foreign Minister Holguin, and Defense Minister Pinzon and others not only
covered the breadth of our security cooperation and Colombia’s growing participation in regional security initiatives,
but helped lay the groundwork for our future security engagement as Colombia consolidates its institutional and security
gains. I also heard from a variety of civil society leaders about progress on human rights issues, and the challenges
that remain.
In Mexico City, as well, my meetings highlighted a diverse and mature bilateral relationship—one that has never been
stronger. At its very core is a relationship of family, of Mexican and Mexican-Americans in the United States, and their
extended families in Mexico. They stay connected in ways both social and economic. The economic relationship and its
growth over especially the past two decades are central to the prosperity of both our countries. To be successful, that
link requires an efficient 21st century border that encourages commerce and deters illicit activities, so border issues
figure prominently in senior bilateral meetings.
My colleagues from the Foreign Secretariat and I also consulted at length about a wide range of international and
multilateral issues, as we routinely do with Mexico. Those included the grave situation in Syria, our mutual concern
over the state of democracy in Nicaragua, and planning for the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting that Mexico held ten days
ago. Mexico’s presidency of the G20—it hosts the next summit, in June—underscores the country’s growing global
leadership role. For any of the old Mexico hands in the room, please try to imagine discussing Syria and Iran with the
Mexican foreign ministry 20, or even 10 years ago.
We also talked about final details of the Transboundary Hydrocarbons Agreement that Secretary Clinton subsequently
signed with Mexico on February 20. The agreement is a great example of bilateral cooperation and partnership in the area
of energy security, and it provides a sound framework for the exploration of important new energy reserves.
We have made great strides institutionalizing a positive, comprehensive partnership with Mexico on security and law
enforcement. The cornerstone of that engagement is the $1.6 billion Merida partnership. The Mexican Government’s close
partnership and sacrifice in fighting transnational crime and stemming the flow of illegal drugs in the hemisphere is
commendable. It was clear during my discussions with civil society leaders how important it is to continue to work
together to strengthen human rights—and specifically to protect journalists, many of whom have been targeted by cartel
violence.
As we cooperate in new ways to fight criminal cartels, we know we have to confront the demand for illegal drugs in more
successful ways. One of the highlights of my visit was my participation with First Lady Zavala and Mexico’s Health
Secretary, in the inauguration of the “National System to Counter Drug Addiction.” Using Merida Initiative funds, the
project creates an information technology platform that will link over 300 drug addiction centers, local councils, and
state observatories around the country to monitor addiction trends and share best practices in treatment. This data
network is a brilliant example of Mexico’s commitment to confront drug use and addiction at every level. It is also a
great example of our partnership, under the Merida initiative, to support prevention, rehabilitation, and treatment—all
key to building strong and resilient communities.
In Brasilia, my meetings at the Foreign Ministry, the President’s office, and the Congress were a chance to take stock
of an already strong 21st Century partnership that seems to be gaining breadth and depth by the day. At its core is our
burgeoning cooperation in education, science, technology, infrastructure, innovation, and energy. All of these areas
are, of course, vital to our, and Brazil’s, economic success. I think it is a telling commentary on the maturity of our
relationship that it has moved so far beyond traditional foreign policy confines. Today Brazil is a strategic partner in
addressing global — not just hemispheric — issues of shared concern. And I want to be clear that the United States needs
and welcomes Brazil's positive expanded role. The fact that we will sometimes disagree on policy issues does not change
that, but rather highlights the need for continued dialogue and better understanding of each others’ values and views.
President Obama will welcome President Rousseff to Washington, DC on April 9, so my counterparts and I also discussed
preparations for that visit. The agenda will focus on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues. We will likely
talk about educational cooperation, science and innovation, and trade and investment. And, as we have so many times in
the past, we will undoubtedly address broader global issues and how we can work together in the many multilateral fora
and groupings that characterize today’s world order.
My trip also highlighted the rapidly growing education cooperation between our two countries. President Rousseff’s
ambitious “Science Without Borders” initiative aims to send 101,000 Brazilian students abroad to study in key scientific
disciplines—75,000 on government scholarships, and another 26,000 paid by the private sector. The goals of that program
dovetail nicely with President Obama’s “100 Thousand Strong in the Americas” goal, which he announced last March in
Chile, of increasing to 100,000 the number of U.S. students studying in Latin America and the Caribbean and the same
from the region to the United States by 2020. So education will be huge on the agenda as it not only strengthens
relations, but also fosters trade and business ties and prepares students for the 21st Century global workforce. This
goal creates an excellent opportunity for private sector involvement by supporting exchange programs, financing
scholarships, offering internships and training, and mentoring exchange students. You will be hearing a lot more from us
on this in the weeks and months to come.
After Brasilia, I had a terrific visit to Recife, in northeastern Brazil. It is an area of the country that is growing
even faster than the national average—an area full of opportunity. All around me I saw the signs of economic boom, as
well as evidence of continued challenges in areas such as education, infrastructure, and public services. I was
impressed at the forward-looking leadership of so many local officials and private sector representatives with whom I
met. They understand the challenge, are facing it head on, and know that broadly expanded cooperation with the United
States can accelerate their success.
Pernambuco’s Governor Eduardo Campos, is spearheading investment in all these areas, particularly in education. We
signed an education MOU with Pernambuco state to strengthen cooperation in education and professional qualification,
particularly in the area of English language training. This is a great example of new partnership at local and state
levels that is having an immediate impact on people’s lives. This is, if I may say so, part of the modern face of our
public diplomacy in the region. We are building linkages at the grass roots level that will help nurture and sustain the
quickly growing ties between our societies.
What I hope I’ve done is give you a sense of how practical, multi-faceted, and globally focused our relationships with
these three key countries are. And how incredibly active our ties are, on so many levels. They are part of a broader and
very positive pattern of rapidly evolving US. relations throughout the region. That story reflects huge transformations
within many of its countries, in how countries within the region are connecting with each other, and how the region is
connecting with the world. All of this is shifting how we understand our interests in the Americas, and accentuating our
stake in the continuing success and prosperity of countries in the region. As trading partners who buy our goods; as
partners capable of providing global public goods; as protagonists in addressing global challenges.
I think the Summit of the Americas, in Cartagena, in April, will showcase the region’s rapid change—and the many
practical ways that countries and societies in the Americas are coming together to solve problems and build a more
successful and interconnected future. When President Obama went to the last Summit in 2009, shortly after he took
office, he pledged a new era of equal partnership in our relations with the Americas. Three years later, we can point to
a clear record of progress in that direction. The contours and details of that partnership are as varied as our
societies, but it is effectively reshaping our engagement all across the Americas.
A word about what you shouldn’t expect the Summit to be: a jamboree of unanimity on every policy issue out there. That’s
not political reality. And there are a small number of governments that obviously have not been receptive to our
partnership offers. Or who take a more narrow and exclusionary approach to integration. That’s not where most of the
region is pointed. There are some divergent views, and we are always open to looking for common ground even in those
cases and the offer to find common ground stands. But we are committed to working with partners, all over the
hemisphere, to advance and defend common interests and values, and we won’t be shy about speaking up, clearly, and
acting, to that end.
A brief preview of some of our priorities at the Summit. These priorities all entail a forward-looking vision, but are
grounded in very practical cooperation now—cooperation that is already under way and increasing. I think you can expect
the President will focus a lot on boosting competitiveness in the Americas. Specifically, on the need to invest in
education, to build up the human capital that will be a critical factor in social progress, economic competitiveness,
and national success in a globalized world. Our network of free trade agreements throughout the Americas is an engine of
growth in all our countries. But, we know that our growth and competitiveness depends on a lot more than trade
agreements. They hinge, for example, on the quality of our investment in human capital and our ability to equip citizens
to be successful in the 21st century workplace. So the President will talk with his colleagues about education, and how
we can work together better and faster to expand access to education that meets the needs of peoples, especially in
higher education.
Of course, this is not just the work of governments. It is a project for our whole societies, including the private
sector, with its ability to mobilize and apply great resources. The private sector events during the Summit will offer
the President, and his counterparts, the chance to make this point directly and explore new partnership ideas.
Growth, competitiveness, and quality of life also require cleaner and more reliable energy for our citizens. In
Cartagena, President Obama will be able to highlight the many new partnerships taking shape in the Americas to help
secure this. I think the President will also focus on the way our partnerships in the hemisphere are taking on an
increasingly global character as the countries of the region become increasingly important global players. The success
of these global partnerships will be vital to consolidating and accelerating the region’s economic growth. The
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a great example of this. It holds the promise of helping drive a new wave of
high-standard, socially responsible, growth-generating trade liberalization throughout the greater Pacific. Chile and
Peru are already part of TPP; Mexico, Canada, and others have expressed interest in joining this ambitious global
partnership.
We talk a lot about a pivot towards the Pacific. But make no mistake about how much we consider the Americas to be part
of the greater Pacific community. A stronger focus on the greater Pacific brings renewed urgency and importance to the
quality and effectiveness of our ties to nations in the Americas. Secretary Clinton has reiterated this many times. She
said it clearly last March at CSIS. I suspect many of you were present. She said: “The bottom line is that geography
matters…it is a comparative advantage to be embraced and we neglect it at our own peril.”
For all of us who work on hemispheric policy, these are exciting and promising times. Our policy has moved light years
beyond a traditional and reactive approach to the Americas. We are convinced that the capabilities and experience of
people throughout the Americas will be a vital ingredient in a stable, prosperous and secure world. Expanding,
unleashing, and applying that skill and knowledge are high strategic objectives that can only be realized with the full
engagement of our societies, but I am so encouraged by the trends that augur for success.
Thank you. I would now like to hear from you and would be happy to take your questions.
ENDS