Obama’s tango with Latin America

(Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais – AP)

President Obama charmed Argentines by dancing the tango during his visit to the South American country last week, but his trip may be remembered for something much more important: It may mark the start of a new cycle of much closer U.S-Latin American ties.

By design or by luck, Obama may leave office with a totally different Latin America than the leftist populist region he inherited seven years ago.

Argentina has a new center-right president, Mauricio Macri, who gave a warm welcome to Obama. Venezuela’s opposition won legislative elections by a landslide in December, dealing a serious blow to radical leftist President Nicolas Maduro. Bolivia’s radical populist president, Evo Morales, was defeated in a recent referendum to run for a fourth consecutive term, and Brazil’s left-of-center President Dilma Rousseff is fighting an uphill battle to survive an impeachment process.

There is growing speculation in diplomatic circles that by January 2017, when Obama leaves office, Latin America’s political map may be dominated by pro-investment, U.S.-friendly governments in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and several other countries.

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