The US Is Upset About Latin American Unity

The first summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) took place in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, on Dec. 3. The summit formally established CELAC.

Analysts point out that the most noticeable characteristic of the newly-founded Community of Latin American and Caribbean States was that the U.S. and Canada are excluded.

This characteristic significantly distinguishes this organization from the Organization of American States (OAS). The Organization of American States, the largest regional organization in the Americas, was founded in 1948 and proposed by the United States. However, some developing member countries complained that the U.S. influence overshadowed this organization.

The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, stated several times that “the Organization of American States only represents the interests of the United States and Latin American countries were marginal in the organization.”* Chavez also said that “CELAC will eventually replace OAS, whose influence is decreasing.”*

Analysts believed that CELAC would impel the development of Latin American integration. The Latin American and Caribbean Unity Summit Declaration, passed in the first summit of CELAC, pointed out that integration was needed to combine natural resources like raw materials, energy and water to achieve sustainable development for all the developing countries in the region. From the political perspective, the founding of a tightly connected community will help to stabilize the politics of Latin American countries.

Because of historic reasons, the U.S. has treated Latin American and Caribbean states as its own backyard, and has influenced these countries politically and economically for a long time.

However, in the new century, Latin American countries are no longer willing to do everything the U.S. asks; many members of left-wing parties have won in Latin American elections. The Free Trade Area of the Americas, which took the U.S. years to plan, failed — because of objections from several countries, such as Venezuela and Brazil.

The U.S. has responded in apathy to the founding of CELAC. Mark Toner, a U.S. State Department spokesperson, told the media that “the U.S. hopes that OAS, the biggest regional organization in America, could continue to function.”*

* Editor’s note: The original quotation, accurately translated, could not be verified.