How Real is the Purported Decline of United States Hegemony in Latin America and the Caribbean?

Prof. O'Keefe will discuss the findings of his latest book, "Bush II, Obama, and the Decline of U.S. Hegemony in the Western Hemisphere " and provide examples of a decline in United States dominance and leadership in the Americas by focusing on four areas: the inter-American system, the failure to establish a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the stillborn Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA), and the appearance of China as a major trading partner and important source of financing and investment capital throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. He will also provide a critical assessment of Plan Colombia, the Merida Initiative, as well as the Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI), and offer insights into the real significance of the restoration of normal U.S. diplomatic relations with Cuba.

Professor Thomas Andrew O’Keefe is the President of Mercosur Consulting Group, Ltd., a legal and economic consulting firm that assists companies with their strategic business planning for South America as well as advises Latin American firms exporting to the United States. He the author of numerous book chapters and articles on Latin American economic integration, globalization, energy security, and climate change, and has lectured extensively on these topics both in the United States and abroad. He has also been invited to brief U.S. government officials and testify before the U.S. Congress on developments within MERCOSUR and the Free Trade Area of the Americas project.