Biden Win Signals Brighter Future With Latin America

[Judi Lynn]

by Yun Zhu | 5 hours ago |

In the hours following President-elect Joe Biden’s triumph over President Donald Trump, an air of exuberance spread over Latin America. Activists from Colombia to Mexico celebrated Biden’s victory, while Latin American media praised the election result as a blow to fascism and the end of one of the darkest periods in American history. Such optimism is not unreasonable — the Biden administration will usher in a new era of U.S.-Latin America relations marked by more cooperation and less confrontation.

Biden has long planned to end Trump’s “bully dictating policy” in Latin America. While in office, Trump has imposed severe economic sanctions on America’s neighbors, aggravated Cuba and Venezuela’s financial crises and enacted harsh immigration restrictions. Over 500 immigrant children have lost all connections to their parents. Fortunately, these nightmares will soon come to an end. Biden’s foreign policies will be starkly different from Trump’s. Sanctions and restrictions are not so favorable to Biden. To mitigate illegal immigration from Central America, Biden plans to address its root causes: poverty, corruption and violence. To achieve this ambitious goal, Biden has proposed a $4 billion aid package to bolster anti-corruption campaigns in Central America and support the region’s economy.

Compared with Trump’s heavy-handed policies, Biden’s plan toward neighboring authoritarian regimes will be firm but temperate. Unlike Trump, Biden will not ardently support Venezuela’s opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, or initiate harsh oil sanctions on the current regime. Instead, he will negotiate with Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s autocratic leader, to institute free and fair elections. Biden also intends to withdraw Trump’s travel restrictions and economic sanctions on Cuba in the interest of normalizing relations with its socialist neighbor. Easing sanctions in Cuba will alleviate its citizens’ hardships and invigorate the private sector. Unlike Trump’s hardline policies, Biden’s plans will not impose as much pain on civilians in Latin America.

Admittedly, Biden’s plan is likely to face challenges both internationally and domestically. His more uncompromising stance on environmental protection, anti-corruption and human rights may alienate him from some Latin American regimes. After Biden proposed to raise $20 billion in international funds to combat the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro denounced the proposal as violating Brazil’s sovereignty.

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https://emorywheel.com/biden-win-signals-brighter-future-with-latin-america/

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