Obama and Latin America Foreign Policy

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing major foreign relations events, regional blocs, political figures, and diplomatic policies between the Obama administration and Latin America.

Summit of the Americas (2009)

The April 2009 summit in Trinidad and Tobago where President Barack Obama announced a desired 'new chapter of engagement' and 'a new beginning with Cuba'.

Washington consensus

The set of free-market economic teachings and reforms adopted by Latin American nations during the 1980s and 1990s as they transitioned from military dictatorships.

Inter-American Democratic Charter

A charter signed in 2001 by Latin American governments asserting the right of citizens to live in democracy and placing a duty on the region to uphold that right.

"Pink tide"

The political trend that rolled over South America after the turn of the millennium, characterized by a series of left-wing governments winning democratic elections.

Hugo Chávez

The late Venezuelan President who formed a hard-left, anti-American regional bloc with authoritarian tendencies and utilized oil wealth to build diplomatic alliances.

Union of South American Nations

A regional body formed in 2008 by 12 South American leaders to promote political coordination independent of traditional Washington-led diplomacy.

Community of Latin American and Caribbean States

A 33-country regional bloc formed on December 3, 2011, linking nations in the Americas while explicitly excluding the United States and Canada.

Manuel Zelaya

The Honduran President ousted by the military on June 28, 2009, after aligning with Hugo Chávez and falling out with the Honduran Congress and judiciary.

Bric countries

An acronym identifying the emerging global powers of Brazil, Russia, India, and China.

Dilma Rousseff

The Brazilian President who took office in 2011 and canceled a state visit to Washington in September 2013 following revelations of U.S. National Security Agency espionage.

Mérida Initiative

A U.S.-sponsored assistance program begun under President George W. Bush that provides support to strengthen Mexico's police and judiciary in battling drug cartels.

Enrique Peña Nieto

The Mexican President who took office in 2012 and signed legislation in August 2014 opening Mexico's oil, gas, and electricity sectors to private investment.

Northern Triangle

The Central American subregion consisting of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, characterized by weak governance, law enforcement corruption, and high levels of criminal violence.

Pacific Alliance

A trade bloc formed in 2011 by Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru centered on free-market policies, economic integration, and openness to Asian markets.

Mercosur

The Atlantic seaboard trade bloc comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela, noted for its protectionist economic approach.

PetroCaribe

A Venezuelan aid scheme created under Hugo Chávez that supplied subsidized oil to over a dozen Caribbean island nations in exchange for regional diplomatic alignment.

Latinobarómetro

A Latin American polling organization that recorded an increase in the region's favorable view of the United States from 58 percent in 2008 to 69 percent in 2013.

FARC

A Colombian guerrilla group engaged in long-running peace negotiations with the Colombian government, in which the Obama administration participated via a special envoy.