Latin America In 2013: A Year In Review

Latin America In 2013: A Year In Review
A man holds up a poster that shows an image of the lateVenezuelan leader Hugo Chavez during a protest against corruption in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
A man holds up a poster that shows an image of the lateVenezuelan leader Hugo Chavez during a protest against corruption in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

As we near the end of the year it is customary to assess the impact of events on the future of the Americas.

Last month, in a policy speech delivered at the Organization of American States, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry declared that “The era of the Monroe Doctrine is over,” referring to the 190 year old U.S. policy of regional domination.

He added that “the day is long past when America looks out and saw a backyard… This is no backyard. This is the yard – this is the front yard. The hemisphere is growing.”

But as this year comes to a close the region is less democratic, and disunity rather consensus is more prevalent as Washington tries to recalibrate its future with its neighbors. The Obama Doctrine, if there is one, speaks of partnership and as Kerry stated, “about all of our countries viewing one another as equals, sharing responsibilities, cooperating on security issues.”

Yet we are still divided on how we approach terrorism, narco-trafficking, criminal gangs and other transnational threats that plague our neighborhood. The region remains among the most peaceful in the world, and that is something to celebrate.

Here are some of the issues that most affected current events, and ultimately will shape 2014.

Peace at last?

2013: A Year In Latin America

Originally published on VOXXI as Year in review: Latin America 2013

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