A Global Icon and High Expectations: Obama through the Eyes of the Latin America's Leaders and Press

The attention paid to President-Elect Barack Obama around the world since his election this Tuesday has been unprecedented in recent times. Perhaps never before has one politician ignited so much hope and such high expectations. Despite the dismal economic news coming home to roost this afternoon, Obama has ignited a renewed sense of pride in Americans and a new promise of leadership for the rest of the world. He has been the toast of the international press, who in his story and improbable victory have found connections to their own nations and have once again found a reason to praise the United States.

The attention received by President-Elect Obama in the Latin American press has been astounding, as in other parts of the world. Leading newspapers across South and Central America hailed the new American president as an inspirational figure who strikes a chord due to his biracial background. On Wednesday morning, Obama's name and image was plastered across the front page of all of the region's major dailies. On a popular Argentine / Pan-Latin American news and analysis site, Nueva Mayoria.com, journalist Rosendo Fraga writes of Obama's significance in the Western Hemisphere. According to Fraga, Obama has "profound significance" first, because he will be the "first African-American president" in the Western world, second, because he has inspired millions of new and young voters, and third, because in this globalized election, 4/5 of the world's population would have voted for Obama. All of this goodwill, according to Fraga, will allow President Obama to embody and more effectively exercise "soft power," or the power of American ideals like pluralism, liberty and social progress. This contrasts sharply with Bush's ability to exercise only "hard power," or military and economic might.

This potential impact of this "soft power" is already palpable in the reaction of Latin America's people and press to Obama's election. Sergio Malbergier, editor of the Money section at Folha de Sao Paulo, one of Brazil's most respected newspapers, said the following of President-Elect Obama: "Obama is a global phenomenon. His victory reflects not only the choice of a majority of Americans, but of the vast majority of human beings. This gives him even more legitimacy as a leader. And leadership will be necessary to take the world out of this increasingly large and ugly recession."

The reaction of Latin American heads of state to Obama's victory shows they understand the global popularity of the President-Elect and the impact he could have in the region. They also understand they will have to challenge him to engage the region. Brazil's President Lula da Silva, perhaps the region's most powerful leader, congratulated Obama on his historic victory but also challenged him to end the Cuban Embargo and to create a stronger relationship with Latin America, South America and, in particular, Brazil. Meanwhile, Felipe Calderon of Mexico was the first head of state to congratulate Obama, inviting him to visit the country and calling for "a new era of progress in the relationships between the two countries, based on responsibility, frank dialogue, respect and mutual confidence."

The reaction of leaders who have had conflictive relationships with the United States to Obama's election is also telling of their recognition of his popularity in the region. Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, one of the region's most anti-U.S. leaders, called Obama's election "historic" and affirmed a willingness to establish "new relations" with the United States and build a "constructive bilateral agenda." Evo Morales of Bolivia, who has had difficulty with the Bush Administration and presides over one of Latin America's most volatile nations, called Obama's triumph "truly historic" and hoped for "improve relations" with the U.S. Even Fidel Castro praised Obama's triumph. Given that Castro is on his way out, Chavez's popularity is suffering due to economic downturn and political fatigue after 10 years in power, and Morales presides over a divided nation, it is no surprise that they would want to bandwagon with Obama. He's probably more popular than these autocrats are in their own countries and the region. I think our new President will have a significant opportunity to push hard for more open societies and human rights in these countries. It will be much more difficult for them to caricature Obama than it was Bush, though I'm sure Chavez will try.

Until now, President-Elect Obama has only provided a rough sketch as to what his Latin America policy will look like. At a future date, I will discuss my views the specifics of this policy. For now, it is likely that the issues of immigration and trade policy will dominate his regional agenda during his first year in office. Because of our economic crisis and two wars abroad, it is likely that much Latin America policy will be crafted away from the cameras. That being said, because of his popularity in the world and the region, I believe that the Obama Administration's policy would benefit greatly from some facetime by the President-Elect in the region. The truth is that Latin America is growing in economic and political influence on the world stage. In coordinating a global response to our current economic crisis, President-Elect Obama should include at least Brazil and Mexico at the table because of the significance of their economy. The region can also be an important partner in energy policy and the development of new energy technologies. Because he is so popular right now, through a little facetime, our President-Elect has the opportunity to set the agenda with countries whose leaders are less popular or are on the way out. He can really create the groundwork for a fruitful and cooperative relationship across the region with relatively little cost.

As our nation currently faces two wars and the most serious economic crisis since the Great Depression, I understand that our new President may not be able to focus initially on Latin America policy and many other issues of the day. President-Elect Obama will have the weight of the American people and the world on his shoulders as he begins office in these difficult times. Because I know this is the case, I understand that President-Elect Obama's Latin America policy may remain thin in the beginning. It is my hope, however, that at some point during his term, he will begin to execute a strategy towards Latin America that takes into account its political and economic significance to the United States. If I was not personally inspired by President-Elect Obama and did not believe that he could do this, I would not offer the suggestion. Because I do believe strongly in the President-Elect's vision and worldview, I am certain that in his presidency, he will change our country's Latin America policy for the better.