A three-day first Latin America and Caribbean summit concluded on Wednesday, December 17. This is the first time in Latin America' history for 33 heads of state or of government and delegates from South America, Central America and the Caribbean to meet and confer on major issue of regional integration and economic development.
A string of meetings were held one after another in Brazil from December 15 to 17, namely, the 36th Summit of the Common Market of the South (Mercosur), the Extraordinary Meeting of Heads of State and Government of the Union of South American Nations, the Rio Group Summit, the Latin American Summit and the Summit of Caribbean Heads of Government.
But it was not the first-ever "get-together" of leaders of Latin American nations, since nine Pan-American meetings had convened in the region during a six-decade period between 1890 and 1948. Since 1990, 31 Latin American and Caribbean countries had attended four summits of Latin American heads of state. Nevertheless, any previous regional meetings of Latin America leaders were at the sponsorship and direction of the United States, and most of the main topics for discussion at such meetings often focused on cooperation between Latin America and the U.S. What is unimaginable, noted Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, is however the fact that Latin American countries attended regional conferences with participation of foreign powers outside the region in the last 200 years after wining their independence.
The just-ended summit of Latin American and Caribbean leaders debated on Latin America's major issues without participation or supervision of foreign powers like the United States or European nations. Cuba returned to the embrace of "the big Latin America family" and participated for the first time in LA summit conference from which it had previously been excluded, and became a formal, official member of the Rio Group. So, the summit can be said to be the Latin Americans' first-ever meeting to decide regional issues on their own.
US President James Monroe, who introduced his prestigious Doctrine back in 1823, set forth in December of the year the slogan against the colonial rule of European colonialism in America, that is, "the American Continents are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European power." The Monroe Doctrine, nevertheless, started the U.S. sphere of influence that encompassed the entirety of North and South America. Under the banner of Monroe Doctrine, Latin American countries drew themselves closer to the U.S. Consequently, the American continent became the continent of Americans, while Latin America was turned into their "backyard". In the 100-plus years that followed, the U.S. orbited Latin America into its own sphere of influence through political, economical and military means and via the institution of varied regional cooperative mechanisms.
As a matter of fact, Latin Americans have never given up their ideals or aspirations for independence, self-independence and regional integration. Simon Bolivar, the great leader of the South American War for Independence in the 1800s, stood for setting up a most extensive, most eminent and strongest global alliance in South America. This has been a source of inspiration for the unity and alliance pursued by Latin Americans.
Since the early fifties of the 20th century, Latin Americans have gone in quest of a path of integrated development from initiating the Latin American integration to setting up the Rio Group and an international organization of Latin American and the Caribbean States; they have proceeded from the establishment of the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) in 1991, the Central American Common Market in 1993, the Andes common market in 1997, the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) in 2006 to the ensuing execution of the Plan for BFR Substitution in 2004 and the establishment of the League of United Latin American Citizens in 2006.
Today, the summit of 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries show that the relations among Latin American countries have turned increasingly mature, and their integration is heading for the entire Latin American region from a scattered, sub-regional integration. This poses a milestone event of vital historical significance in the economic and social process of Latin America. Of course, people should also acknowledge that the regional political, economical and cultural integration still needs more in-depth exchanges and understanding, as well as action and cooperation, because Latin American countries currently have great disparities with their levels of economic and social development, and the roads for development they have pursued are not entirely same or identical.
By People's Daily Online, and its author is PD reporter Wu Zhihua
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