US policymakers have never known how to deal with Latin America. Now, in the wake of last weekend’s embarrassing Summit of the Americas, domestic politics and diplomatic inertia add up to ongoing US disengagement from the region.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Rather, President Obama should make a follow up speech to his Cushion, Oklahoma, address, and on the basis of energy security he should call for a new partnership across the Americas.
Given recent estimates of oil and gas reserves in Latin America, over the next decade the United States might be able to eliminate oil imports from the Middle East. But tapping those reserves can only be done with the technology and expertise that US energy companies bring to the rig.
For a heartier helping of this logic, check out my article in The National Interest.
