Heine Publishes Article on Summit of Americas and Active Non-Alignment
Jorge Heine, Research Professor at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, published an article in the French journal Le Grand Continent examing the state of inter-American relations in the wake of the 9th Summit of the Americas and the relevance of the Active Non-Alignment option for Latin America in the light of these developments.
In his article, titled “Le Sommet des Amériques à l’ère du non-alignement actif (The Summit of the Americas in the era of active non-alignment),” Heine discusses this past Summit, what the negotiations say about Washington’s current policy in Latin America, and the difficulty of U.S. efforts to counter the growing presence of China. Heine argues that a strategy of active non-alignment for the region would allow Latin America and the Caribbean to avoid becoming entangled in great power struggles and focus on tackling their most pressing challenges.
An excerpt:
The diplomatic debacle that was the 9th Summit of the Americas…should serve as a wake-up call to countries in the region. This debacle reflects, on the one hand, the undeniable decline of the United States as a hegemonic power and, on the other hand, its inability to produce answers to the immense challenges of Latin America and the Caribbean in the current complex conjuncture. At the same time, the rejection of the arbitrary and uncoordinated exclusion of three countries has shown that, despite the divisions and differences between Latin American countries, there is still a minimal feeling, if not of unity, at least of shared dignity in the region.
The full article can be read on Le Grand Continent‘s website.
Ambassador Jorge Heine is a Research Professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. He has served as ambassador of Chile to China (2014-2017), to India (2003-2007) and to South Africa (1994-1999), and as a Cabinet Minister in the Chilean Government. Read more about Ambassador Heine on his faculty profile.