Latin America: from 'backyard' to development vanguard
Latin America: from 'backyard' to development vanguard
Xinhua, July 17, 2014
Ever since the 1823 declaration of the Monroe Doctrine, U.S. politicians habitually refer to all countries south of the Rio Grande as "America's backyard."
Latin Americans frown at the tag. Language wonks point at the fact that although in the United States "backyard" has a friendly connotation, in Spanish America it means "corral," the part of a house for keeping chickens and planting banana trees.
The treachery of translation aside, the term has also become obsolete in its intended sense. As U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged in November -- half a year after he had stirred up strong protest in Latin America by citing the analogy, the era of the Monroe Doctrine is over.
As a matter of fact, Kerry's statement was just a belated recognition of an already profoundly changed regional landscape. Latin American countries have outgrown the so-called U.S. sphere of influence and become equal players on the world stage.
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http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/2014-07/17/content_32993328.htm