Speaker explores remedies to Latin America poverty

from The Daily Record

By BOBBY WARREN

WOOSTER -- Nicole Spencer never intended to immerse herself in Latin America policy initiatives.

After graduating from college, she and a friend took a trip to Guatemala, where she wanted to accomplish two things: See the Mayan ruins and buy some lovely woven textiles for presents.

When the two arrived at a village, a group of little girls -- with dirty faces and dirty clothes -- surrounded them. The girls were interested in selling Spencer and her friend necklaces, and one had a chicken for sale.

Spencer tried to speak Spanish to the children, but she said they seemed to know only two words: bueno precio (good price).

"They were like little automatons, repeating it over and over. Good price. Good price," Spencer said.

When the Yellow Springs native returned to the United States, she could not erase the images of those little girls.

"I wanted to know why the country had such poverty," Spencer told the audience that gathered at The College of Wooster Tuesday to hear her talk about "Can Latin America Foresee a Finer Future?" The lecture was the third event in the College-Community Forum on Great Decisions in American Foreign Policy, and it was held in Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center.

Spencer began reading about Guatemala and U.S. interventions in the country, including helping to overthrow democratically elected president Jacobo Arbenz in 1954. Arbenz had been instituting social and political reforms to consolidate democracy and promote equitable development, Spencer said. The overthrow led to 36 years of civil war, and Spencer described the 1980s as a brutal phase of the war.

"After learning about the role the U.S. has played in Latin America, I felt, and I still feel, a responsibility to contribute to better U.S. policy toward Latin America."

Spencer discussed the changing political landscape of Latin America, which included the election of Hugo Chavez as president of Venezuela. Of the 12 elections over the past year or so, Chavez has received the most media attention, due in part to his calling President George W. Bush "the devil" and a dictator. Chavez has worked to create an alliance of countries to oppose U.S. policies, has stacked Venezuela's supreme court with supporters and the congress is made up of all Chavez backers, Spencer said.

"The left" scored many victories in those elections, Spencer said. Others coming to power include Evo Morales in Bolivia, the country's first indigenous president, and Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua.

While the left might have made inroads during the recent elections, Spencer said a recent poll showed most Latin Americans think of themselves as centrists. The Latinobarometro polling firm reported one-third of those in Latin American countries consider themselves on the left politically, but 40 percent say they are in the center. For leaders to rule, they must connect with those moderates, Spencer said.

The poll also showed the two most important issues are unemployment and crime. Spencer said she believes concerns about economic security were a factor in the elections.

"Helping the poor was a common theme in the campaigns of the past year," she said, adding a candidate in Ecuador was handing out cash to the needy on the campaign trail.

Spencer considers Latin America the most unequal region in the world. While the richest 10 percent earn about half of the income, the poorest 10 percent only amass 2 percent of the total income, she said. About 40 percent of Latin Americans live in poverty, about three times the rate in the United States, she added.

Many factors contribute to persistent poverty and inequality, Spencer said. One factor is clientelism, where leaders reward groups in exchange for support. These rewards tend to be material goods rather than policy initiatives. Corruption is another one. In a survey, 17 percent of Latin Americans reported they had paid a bribe in the past year. Weak states also play a role, Spencer said. They don't provide adequate education, guarantee property rights or ensure the rule of law.

Spencer said it is in the United States' interest to help reduce the poverty and inequality in Latin America. While there are humanitarian reasons to pursue this policy, Spencer said it also makes economic sense. About 20 percent of U.S. exports go to Latin America, and the relationship requires they be able to pay for the products.

Part of the solution is comprehensive immigration reform. She referred to comments from a former presidential candidate of Costa Rica who compared the Central American Free Trade Agreement with the European Union. A difference between the two is that with the EU there is free movement of both capital and labor.

Latin Americans who emigrate here do not just engage in menial work, but many are entrepreneurs who start their own businesses, Spencer said. She said a guest worker program in which workers could apply for citizenship when their visas end would help.

Those undocumented and unauthorized workers in the country should be given the opportunity to apply for citizenship so that immigration reform begins with a clean slate, she said.

David Wiesenberg said he read Spencer's op-ed piece in The Daily Record and wanted to hear more. And on a frigid evening, he said, "Hearing about Latin America on a cold night warms you up."

Frank Rasmussen, a member of the Great Decisions board, introduced Spencer. His assessment was she did a good job and interacted well with the audience.

Christine Lafferty, a senior at The College of Wooster, said she would like to work one day on Latin American policy and talked with Spencer afterward about her prospects. Spencer is now associate to the president of the InterAmerican Dialogue.

The next lecture will be Feb. 13 when James Sterba addresses "Can We Have both Liberty and Equality?" For more information call (330) 264-2103.

Wooster and Wayne County government reporter Bobby Warren can be reached at (330) 287-1638 or e-mail bwarren@the-daily-record.com.