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OSI strategy in Latin America is grounded in a concern that the democratic revolution that swept through the region during the 1990s is running out of steam. Democratic governments have failed to generate sustained economic growth, while (with the exception of Chile) poverty and inequality have risen during the last decade. Democratic governments have also failed to guarantee order. Both common and organized crime are out of control. United States policy toward the region, which during the 1990s emphasized the strengthening of democratic institutions and civilian control (along with the promotion of free trade) as central goals, has noticeably shifted toward an emphasis on securing Latin American cooperation with U.S. counter-terrorist strategies.
As attention to Latin America by the international community declined after September 11, 2001, and as U.S. foreign policy priorities in the region have shifted to place much greater emphasis on security cooperation in the fight against terrorism, the Open Society Policy Center is conducting public education and advocacy in Washington aimed at ensuring that U.S. policies in Latin America promote civilian control and democratic institutions and practices. In particular, OSPC opposes U.S. Department of Defense efforts to promote a primary role for the U.S. and Latin American militaries in fighting organized crime and other civilian law enforcement responsibilities.
Rigid insistence on the part of international financial institutions and many bilateral donors that Latin American governments rapidly implement a common set of economic reform policies known as the "Washington Consensus" has failed to reduce poverty or create jobs, even as it has also failed to generate the levels of sustained macroeconomic growth its authors predicted. At the end of 2003, the number of Latin Americans living below the poverty line increased to 225 million from 200 million a decade earlier. And there has been no progress in reducing inequality in Latin America, which remains more extreme than in any other region of the world. Both factors have had destabilizing effects on the consolidation of democracy in the region. OSPC promotes policy debates in Washington aimed at building support for alternative policies and practices by bi-lateral and multilateral lenders to Latin America, and seeks to ensure that Latin American perspectives on the kinds of policies needed are included in these debates.
OSPC also seeks to ensure continued engagement and financial support by the United States and the international community in the reconstruction of Haiti. This includes advocating strong financial support by the United States and much more vigorous steps by international peacekeepers to disarm illegal armed groups and to establish security.
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