Subnational & Supranational orgs.
&
Economic/Social Conditions
Groups
that represent
areas or people within
a particular nationstate.
Organizations
that
includes a
membership
representing several
nation-states;
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Shining Path – Peru (Communist Party of Peru)
FARC & ELN – Colombia. FARC is a Communist
insurgent group that has successfully challenged
the legitimate gov’t.’s ability to rule & actually
controls several geographic areas within that
nation.
Zapatistas – anti-globalization group heavily
supported by indigenous people of Mexico.
Cartels – until its leader Pablo Escobar was killed
in 1993, the Medellin cartel was Colombia’s most
powerful & wealthy organized crime group that
made enormous profits from the drug trade.
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Organization of American States:
(OAS) chartered in 1948 this
supranational organization was
established to achieve among its
member states, as stated in Article 1 of
its Charter, “an order of peace and
justice, to promote their solidarity, to
strengthen their collaboration, and to
defend their sovereignty, their
territorial integrity, and their
independence
Free Trade Area of the Americas – (FTAA)
The Heads of State and Government of the 34
democracies in the region agreed to construct a Free
Trade Area of the Americas, or FTAA, in which
barriers to trade and investment will be progressively
eliminated (proposed hemispheric trade agreement)

MERCOSUR – Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay &
Uruguay formed this trade agreement in 1991(Bolivia
& Chile are assoc. members). MOST SUCCESSFUL
TRADE BLOC IN REGION.
 GOAL - primary objective is the integration of the
four member nations through the free movement of
goods, services and factors of production; the
establishment of a Common External Tariff (CET);
and the adoption of a common commercial policy
coordinating and harmonizing legislation in trade
related areas.
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NAFTA: has increased trade in the region, but
has been criticized for favoring the US and for the
negative effects that the increased trade has had on
the environment.
MOST SUPRANATIONAL ORGS. IN THIS
REGION HAVE FOCUSED ON TRADE AND
ECONOMIC ISSUES; the SUBNATIONAL
organizations have been more politically
motivated. Overall, in Latin America, the impact
of SUPRANATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS has
been more beneficial than SUBNATIONAL ones.
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Insurgent groups are groups that seek to
replace/take power away from the existing
government that is in place.
In this region FARC & ELN are insurgent
group examples. Both have controlled large
territories of their countries through
extortion, kidnapping & violence.
In Latin America, many insurgent groups are
funded by money generated from the
trafficking of illegal drugs.
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As you are aware (from summer reading &
your text) this region is a major supplier of
cocaine to the rest of the world. The US is a
major destination for drugs leaving Latin
America.
Plan Colombia is one attempt to stop the flow
of illegal drugs from leaving this region. It
has been very expensive & highly criticized
for focusing only on the SUPPLY part of the
problem, while ignoring the DEMAND piece.
News report - war on drugs
UN on legalization
Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA link)

#1: Treaty of Tordesillas was brokered by the
Pope (head of Catholic church) in 1494 & was
a line of demarcation drawn across a map of
the region (north to south) that awarded to
Spain all lands west of the line & to Portugal
control of all lands east of the line (basically
present day Brazil). Spain got more land
overall. It was intended to eliminate the
possibility of war between Spain & Portugal
over control of the “New World.”

Portugal was slower than Spain in developing their
New World colony of Brazil. Initially they didn’t
think they had much to profit from due to a lack of
spices for trade & no major indigenous peoples,
however, the accessibility of Brazil’s coast (for trade),
the forest products (Amazon Rain Forest) & the fact
that several cash crops grew extremely well in the soil
& climate (sugar, cotton, coffee) all peaked their
interest in developing the colony. Gold & diamonds
were discovered in the Brazilian Highlands
thousands flocked to the colony. *Approximately 3.5
million Africans were forced to Brazil (through
slavery) to work on the large plantations the
Portuguese had established.

The Spanish & Portuguese divided the New
World into Administrative Units to make it easier
to govern their vast colonies. The divisions they
used became the basis for the emergence of the
modern nations of Latin America. In other
words…the borders & boundaries between
modern LA nations were drawn by Imperial
powers for THEIR convenience…not for the
benefit of the nations of the region. These
arbitrarily drawn boundaries were the basis of
numerous border wars in the region in the early
20th century.
GRAN COLOMBIA: Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador &
Panama were united into one political unit. Latin American
freedom fighter Simon Bolivar (“the Liberator” was a key
figure in the establishment of GC. It only lasted 8 years but
it helped member nations gain freedom from Imperial rule.
 UNITED PROVINCES OF CENTRAL AMERICA:
This was a similar entity that was formed to avoid being
annexed by Mexico. Member nations included Guatemala,
Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua & Costa Rica.
 **Today the former Spanish colonies include 16 states + 3
island nations with a total population of >340 million.
 Inspiration??
 **If the Spanish colonial territory had formed 1 independent
nation today it would be the 3rd largest nation in the world
(following China & India).
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BORDER WARS/BOUNDARY DISPUTES IN LA:
simply put – the borders drawn by Europeans during
Imperialism were not considerate of the people in the
region but were the basis for the borders/boundaries
of the modern independent countries.
IMPACT OF POLITICAL YOUTHFULNESS: most of
the 17 countries in this region are just turning 200 yrs.
old. Yet, political stability is lacking even though
most nations are democratic; also economic &
political reform have been slow. There have been
several dictators & other leaders who have misused
their political power for their own benefit. Political
experts call this “growing pains.”
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Common political & economic problems in
LA: Even though by 1990’s each country in LA
had a democratically elected leader (except
Cuba) -Military coups are too frequent;
Poverty is not disappearing quickly enough
(ie middle class development is slow);
Falling incomes, rising violence & chronic
underemployment all contribute to political
instability throughout the region.
Many of the countries of this region fall
between “developing” and “developed”
categories. Generally, the southern nations
are the richest, with Argentina leading the
pack. The poorest countries in the region are
in Central America and the Andes Mts.
**NEARLY 1/3 OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS
REGION LIVE ON LESS THAN $2 PER DAY!
(that is the international “poverty line”)
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Import Substitution has been used to try to improve
economies in LA. It involves placing high tariffs on all
imports to encourage people to buy (or substitute) less
expensive domestic goods instead of the more
expensive imported goods. (ie – to buy the goods
produced within the country); (Q #2)
Since the 1960’s many LA nations have emphasized
manufacturing in their efforts to improve their
economies. Growth Poles are planned industrial
centers placed in underdeveloped areas that try to
attract businesses and provide jobs. (Q#3) Sao Paolo,
Brazil is the regions’ most productive manufacturing
center. Overall, the focus on manufacturing in this
region has not successfully employed a big percentage
of workers in the available labor pool.
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Mexico is in a unique situation because of its
competitive advantage (meaning its location
along the US border and its membership in
NAFTA). For many years Mexican workers &
foreign corporations focused on the border zone
creating towns & cities; some of which have
growing middle & upper classes – but most also
contain slums that are home to the lowest paid
workers in border manufacturing plants. In recent
years other Mexican cities located further from the
US border have offered tax incentives & low labor
costs as incentives to US manufacturers to try to
lure them away from border town & spread
economic development inward. (Q #5)
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Maquiladoras are Mexican manufacturing plants
(over 4,000 exist) along the US border that employ
over 1 million people and account for nearly half
of that countries exports. Despite that, Mexico still
does not lead the region in terms of economic
development, largely due to its huge population.
(Q#4)
Informal sector is still estimated to be providing
around 60% of jobs in some areas (remember, some
jobs in informal sector are legal & some illegal.
The term refers to the fact that the activities done
here are not being regulated by the governments).
(Q#6)
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Simply put – the regions’ wealth has always been
its abundance of natural resources. Throughout
300 yrs. Of European Imperialism, LA resources
were exported bringing great wealth to the
Imperial powers. Unfortunately after
independence, many LA countries continued to
rely on exporting resource goods, specializing in 1
or 2 items around which the success or failure of
their entire economy was dependent. Although
some countries have done this with great success,
many LA nations continue to be underdeveloped
& still rely on trade with the west for their success.
(thus making them “dependent” on a few
primary exports) Q#7
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SOCIAL CONDITIONS:
Major improvements have occurred in life
expectancy, child survival rate and literacy: in
comparison to LDC’s however, LA’s quality of life
still leaves a lot to be desired for millions. Q#1
NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) are
fundamental in the social well being of many in the
region due to the inability of governments to meet all
of the needs of the poorest people. Q#2
Improvements in social conditions are NOT evenly
spread throughout the population of LA nations.
(Examples: Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil – all of
these nations have seen good overall economic
growth while large segments of their populations are
excluded from any benefits of that growth) Q#3
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RACE RELATIONS: Q#4 Racially very diverse &
very few ethnic conflicts; Native LA’s & black LA’s
are disproportionately among the regions’ poorest.
The status of women is difficult to assess because it
varies. The old gender stereotypes of machismo &
marianismo seem to be breaking down. Generally
urban women seem to be more educated, healthy &
are more likely to be employed than rural women.
Q#5
Social Indicators Updated…
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http://www.indexmundi.com/map/?v=30&r=sa&l=en life expectancy
http://www.childinfo.org/mortality_underfive.php under age 5 mortality
http://latinostories.com/Latin_America_Resources/Latin_American_Literacy_Rate.htm illit.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/LACEXT/0,,contentMDK:23032240~pagePK
:146736~piPK:146830~theSitePK:258554,00.html women
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/8260e3ae-f65d-11df-846a-00144feab49a.html#axzz2ElLZTtwG economy
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Women are increasingly playing a role in
politics in this region.
http://www.alternet.org/story/155740/latin_
american_countries_have_elected_a_wave_of_
women_leaders-why_hasn't_equality_followed
http://www.remezcla.com/2011/latin/wome
n-presidents-government-officials-latinamerica/
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CUBA:
From the Miami Herald on 10-21-12…”A Venezuelan doctor says former Cuban leader Fidel
Castro has suffered a stroke, leaving him in"very close to a nuerovegetative state,“Castro,
whose revolution seized power in Cuba in 1959, left office in 2006 due to a life-threatening
intestinal condition. His younger brother Raul now serves as president.
From ECONOMIST magazine in March 2012…”Raúl Castro, who
formally took over as Cuba's president in February 2008 and as
first secretary of the Communist Party in April 2011, is trying to
revive the island's economy by transferring a substantial chunk of
it from state to private hands, with profound social and political
implications. He has abolished a few of the many petty restrictions
that pervade Cubans' lives. He has also freed around 130 political
prisoners. His government has signed the UN covenants on human
rights, something his brother had jibbed at for three decades.
Repression has become less brutal, though two prisoners have
died on hunger strikes. Cubans grumble far more openly than they
used to, and academic debate has become a bit freer. But calls for
democracy and free elections are still silenced. The Communist
Party remains the only legal political party in Cuba. And Raúl
Castro has repeatedly dashed the hopes of many Cubans that the
hated exit visa, which makes it hard (and for some, impossible) to
leave the country, will be scrapped.”
HAITI:
 Economy Profile 2012
http://www.indexmundi.com/haiti/economy
_profile.html
 Cholera Outbreak:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latinamerica-20024400
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