The Foreign Service Journal, October 2004

fund sounded very good to First Lady Cristina Kirchner, who pub- licly stated that it is in line with her husband’s proposal for a Marshall Plan for Latin America. Cristina, who is also an Argentine senator from Santa Cruz province, does not hide her pref- erences: she is surrounded by Democratic officials when she visits the United States. She met former President Jimmy Carter and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and gladly went to the Democratic Convention at the invitation of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Until the investment and development fund pro- posal, “I couldn’t find a novel proposal in relation to the region,” says Amb. Bordón. Like his president, he believes the U.S. will have to return to a Marshall Plan concept. “It was not only an aid, but a frame- work of democratic coincidences to help to generate conditions for economic development,” Bordón explains. “The U.S. understood that helping Europe to have developed democracies was going to create a larger economic competence, but also [give a major boost to] security and peace internationally.” Progress on the FTAA? In the Argentine view, problems of economic aid and commercial relations in the Western Hemisphere — where the hot topics are market access and agricultural subsidies — are linked. There is interest in building free-trade zones, claims Amb. Bordón, but it lacks depth. For now, the Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiations seem bogged down due to the differing interests of the United States and MERCOSUR, the customs union that includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, and accounts for the largest chunk of Argentina’s import and export trade. “Once the elections in the United States are over, the hemispheric negotiations could receive a new political push,” states Felix Peña, an Argentine spe- cialist in international economic relations, who also notes that the strategic vision necessary as a frame- work for the negotiations has so far been missing. “In all likeli- hood, all the main actors would like to see negotiations progress before the expiration in mid-2005 of the present mandate given by Congress to the U.S. president through the Trade Promotion Authority,” Peña adds. In terms of the Democrats’ proposals, however, there is some concern about what they would finally do if the Kerry-Edwards ticket prevails. Though it is understood that campaign speech- es are aimed at captivating the local electorate, Kerry does maintain that he will revise all commercial contracts, and John Edwards does not hide his protectionist inclinations. Generally, however, Kerry’s Senate voting record favors free commerce, recalls Amb. Bordón. Security Issues Last, but not least, are security issues in the region, in which both U.S. presidential candidates have demonstrated interest. “The United States and Argentina are facing the common need to tackle an increasing governance crisis in South America, which is expressed in a particularly virulent manner in most countries of the Andean region,” says Jorge Castro, president of the private Institute of Strategic Planning in Buenos Aires. The conflict in Haiti, Colombia, the situation in Venezuela, not to mention the confrontations in Peru and Bolivia, present both Argentina and the United States with a strong com- mon interest in maintaining peace and stability in South America, Castro adds. “The security issue is important for us,” Bordon acknowledges. “The U.S. Department of State recog- nized that Argentina is on the top levels in fighting against organized crime, like drug and weapons traf- ficking, terrorism, and money laundering. I believe that with either of the two administrations, this work will continue to move forward.” While hoping for a Kerry victory, Argentina will need — and is prepared — to work with either man to address financial and security issues. F O C U S 36 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 4 Though it is understood that campaign speeches are aimed at captivating the local electorate, Kerry does maintain that he will revise all commercial contracts.