Here's What Latin Americans Want to Tell the Next President of the U.S. AQ Online
go to original July 16, 2016

We asked Latin Americans: If you could tell the next president of the United States anything, what would it be? Those are just a few of the responses we’re publishing in the new issue of Americas Quarterly, entitled “Memos to the Next President.” The authors include a president, an attorney general, an indigenous activist, CEOs, experts on the region, and everyday readers like you.

You can find links to these 15 fascinating, brief, to-the-point memos below.

Taken together, the memos provide a snapshot of a diverse and rapidly changing region of 540 million people – and how the United States can better relate to it not as a threat, but as a partner and a place of opportunity. Indeed, the “real” Latin America has little to do with the stereotypes and myths being thrown around in this U.S. campaign cycle. We hope that by highlighting issues such as cybersecurity, corruption, protecting the Amazon and even the region’s potential as a retirement haven for Baby Boomers, we can contribute something new to the debate.

Whether you’re Argentine, Colombian or American, someone who does business in the region, or the next occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, we believe you’ll find the memos a rich and compelling read.

	Rethink the War on Drugs, President Santos Says Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos says the U.S. and Latin America should work to strike criminal organizations where it hurts them most - their finances.
	Heal the Relationship With Mexico A rising tide in Mexico will lift boats on both sides of the Rio Grande, according to Mexico's former Ambassador to the U.S. Arturo Sarukhan.
	Include the Indigenous in Climate Change Talks Indigenous communities are often the first to suffer the consequences of global warming, writes Tarcila Rivera Zea.
	Support "Silicon Valley Diplomacy" in Latin America AS/COA President and CEO Susan Segal on how Silicon Valley diplomacy could encourage innovation throughout the hemisphere.
	Join Our Struggle Against Corruption Efforts to promote transparency and accountability could help solidify recent gains in the fight against corruption, writes Guatemala's Attorney General Thelma Aldana.
	Treat Latin Americans as Equals AQ's editor-in-chief Brian Winter on how a little humility (and retiring that "b-word") can help repair the U.S.-Latin America relationship.
	Lift the Cuban Embargo By engaging with Cuba, we can help create a more prosperous future for both Cubans and Americans, write U.S. Representatives Tom Emmer and Cathy Kastor.
	Help Brazil Preserve the Amazon Leading Brazilian climate researchers Beto Veríssimo and Paulo Barreto on the lessons the U.S. can offer Brazil in balancing conservation and development.
	Help Boomers Retire in Latin America Expanding Medicare benefits to U.S. retirees in Latin America is not only the right thing to do – it makes economic sense, writes retirement migration expert David Truly.
	Save the Lives of Central American Migrants Javier Valdés, co-executive director of Make the Road New York, on how U.S. immigration policy can protect those fleeing the region's most dangerous countries.
	Deploy U.S. Energy Resources for Regional Growth Investment in U.S. natural gas would offer Latin America a cheaper alternative to oil and would be a win for regional ties, writes Andrés Gluski, president and CEO of The AES Corporation.
	Promote Americas-wide Collaboration on Cybersecurity Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup Latin America, on how the U.S. could help the region tackle its cybersecurity deficits.
	Make Latin American Trade Expansion a Priority Trade is a potent tool to bolster the U.S. position in Latin America, writes AS/COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth.
	Collaborate with Mexico in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Softek's Blanca Treviño makes the case for a stronger U.S.-Mexico partnership on technology.
	Stop Enabling Latin America's Gun Addiction The Igarapé Institute's Robert Muggah details the steps the next administration can take to ensure arms from the U.S. don't fall into the wrong hands.

To view the memos in PDF form, click here

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