Michael Shifter
Michael Shifter
Michael Shifter is President of the Inter-American Dialogue and an Adjunct Professor of Latin American Studies at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and writes for the Council's journal Foreign Affairs. He is also a member of the Latin American Studies Association, and a contributing editor to Current History...
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The question is, when it comes time to confront those policy decisions, whether that could create more violence or unrest.
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It remains unclear how pragmatic Morales will actually be once in office, and whether he'll be able to strike the formula of accommodating both his base and national and foreign capital that have a strong stake in Bolivia's economy. Finding that balance will pose the most severe test of Morales's political skills.
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I think he's saying that the U.S. doesn't have to control everything ? that the U.S. is able to sort of yield, and when it does, things can go well,
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When you have that amount of concentrated power, bad things tend to happen.
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Those words must have been welcome to anxious business groups, who feared a fiercely confrontational tone. He hit some conciliatory notes.
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The fact that he is going is a credit to him, because there was a lot of speculation he wouldn't,
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There is powerful symbolism in what's happening in Costa Rica. Here is a country with enormous affinity with the United States, where there is a tremendous convergence of shared values ... and even they are not convinced that unquestioned support of the United States is in their best interests.
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Unless Flores embarks on ... social reform aimed at addressing the country's exclusion and inequality, political unrest could mount during her presidency.
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The possibility we'll have another Chavez acolyte in Peru represents a serious challenge to the economic model and a threat to democracy.
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With this move, he risks alienating natural and otherwise sympathetic partners like Brazil and Spain. Ordering the military to seize the natural gas fields is unnecessarily confrontational and antagonistic.
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Brazil is an absolutely critical player in the hemisphere. There is a limit to how much progress the U.S. can make on any issue, free trade included, without Brazil's support and cooperation.
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Brazil is an absolutely critical player in the hemisphere, ... There is a limit to how much progress the U.S. can make on any issue, free trade included, without Brazil's support and cooperation.
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But now the test is, 'Can he follow through?' ... Ultimately, he will face real decisions.
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There has been a sense that Latin America can take care of itself, but Washington needs to start repairing the tattered relations.