By: Daniel Nardini
Maybe his campaign does not stand a snowball’s chance in hell, but I am coming to appreciate Newt Gingrich’s domestic and foreign policy approaches. Not only is he calling for serious reform of our antiquated and messed up immigration system, but he is finally putting back into perspective where our foreign policy should be—primarily on Latin America. As he has been saying, Latin American countries are our neighbors and we will always be affected by what happens in Central and South America more than in Europe or Asia and definitely Africa. Gingrich has realized that Afghanistan is too far away and there will be limitations of how much any country, even a superpower like the United States, can affect a country halfway around the world. Even though the United States has troops in Afghanistan, the U.S. role in that war has limitations. More than that, Gingrich realizes more than any of the other Republican candidates that America’s future really lies with Latin America.
Out of the ten countries with the highest number of immigrants who come to the United States, four of them are Latin American. These countries are Mexico, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Cuba (even though we do not have diplomatic relations with Cuba, Cubans coming to the United States as refugees make up a large number of the immigrants who come to America). If we were to put all of the trade this country currently has with every Latin American nation, this trade would out-number all other continents with the exception of the Far East. America receives so much more in trade from Latin America in the way of resources, consumer goods, food products, and manufactured goods than just about anywhere else. One other thing that Gingrich brought up is that if we do not try to establish better relations (or relations at all) with Latin America then this country will be forfeiting its influence and relations to powers outside the American hemisphere. This is already happening. Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad has already visited Cuba and has scheduled to visit Nicaragua, Venezuela and Ecuador. We see China increasing its influence with Chinese companies and Chinese experts being found in many parts of Central and South America.
United States’ influence in Latin America is in serious decline. This is in large part because the U.S. has been primarily involved in the Middle East and also Central Asia for well over a decade. Newt Gingrich believes it is time to reestablish Latin America as our primary relationship. One can be sure that Gingrich’s opinion on Latin America is certainly not popular among strident Republican conservatives. None of his rivals has shown any interest in Latin America, and all have vowed to carry out a law enforcement policy on immigration. A policy that has been tried by former U.S. President George W. Bush and current U.S. President Barack Obama; all of which has failed. Because this is not a popular position among Republican conservatives, it is very clear that Gingrich has taken this position out of sincerity. For that he would get my vote on this alone.
The Focus on Latin America
By: Daniel Nardini
Out of the ten countries with the highest number of immigrants who come to the United States, four of them are Latin American. These countries are Mexico, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Cuba (even though we do not have diplomatic relations with Cuba, Cubans coming to the United States as refugees make up a large number of the immigrants who come to America). If we were to put all of the trade this country currently has with every Latin American nation, this trade would out-number all other continents with the exception of the Far East. America receives so much more in trade from Latin America in the way of resources, consumer goods, food products, and manufactured goods than just about anywhere else. One other thing that Gingrich brought up is that if we do not try to establish better relations (or relations at all) with Latin America then this country will be forfeiting its influence and relations to powers outside the American hemisphere. This is already happening. Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad has already visited Cuba and has scheduled to visit Nicaragua, Venezuela and Ecuador. We see China increasing its influence with Chinese companies and Chinese experts being found in many parts of Central and South America.
United States’ influence in Latin America is in serious decline. This is in large part because the U.S. has been primarily involved in the Middle East and also Central Asia for well over a decade. Newt Gingrich believes it is time to reestablish Latin America as our primary relationship. One can be sure that Gingrich’s opinion on Latin America is certainly not popular among strident Republican conservatives. None of his rivals has shown any interest in Latin America, and all have vowed to carry out a law enforcement policy on immigration. A policy that has been tried by former U.S. President George W. Bush and current U.S. President Barack Obama; all of which has failed. Because this is not a popular position among Republican conservatives, it is very clear that Gingrich has taken this position out of sincerity. For that he would get my vote on this alone.