U.S. economic relations with Latin American and Caribbean countries in a time of transition
SP/Di No. 4 - 12
The Annual Review of Latin America and the Caribbean – United States of America Economic Relations has become a traditional contribution by SELA to the analysis of current developments of critical interest to the Member States in such a major area of their international economic relations.
The 2012 edition undertakes to review the region’s always complex and multifaceted economic relations with the United States in the context of what is recognized as a major transition for the international economy as it slowly recovers from a major crisis, confronts the challenges of keeping such a recovery steady in an unstable context, and as the region itself adapts to increasingly diversified international economic relations and to the risks and opportunities such diversification has brought about.
The current issue of the Annual Review intends to highlight not only how economic relations between Latin America and the Caribbean and the United States have evolved in recent times taking advantage of the latest available data, but equally to convey a clear and objective understanding of the political context to which such relations are subject to in the United States at a time when major trade policy decisions have to be negotiated between the U.S. Congress and the Obama Administration, the latter faces a general election, and multilateral trade negotiations under the auspices of the World Trade Organization continue to stall.
This Annual Review’s early presentation has the avowed purpose to be of service to decision-makers within SELA Member States as the 2012 agenda of regional and interregional coordination and consultation meetings gets on its way, so that they may be in a better position to plan ahead and focus their attention on critical scenarios and hopefully appropriately influence their evolution.
The SELA Permanent Secretariat wishes to express its appreciation to Mr. Craig van Grasstek for his contributions as Consultant in the preparation of the current Annual Review.
