Commentary: What makes Uncle Sam "modest"?

By Xinhua writer Yang Qingchuan

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, April 19 (Xinhua) -- One of the most impressive things at the just-concluded fifth Summit of the Americas is perhaps the unprecedented "modest" gesture by the United States at the regional gathering.

Presidents of Chile Michelle Bachelet, Argentina Cristina Fernandez, the U.S. Barack Obama and Brazil Inacio Lula da Silva (L-R) talk before the opening ceremony of the 5th Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain April 17, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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In a region where memories of the Monroe Doctrine and other U.S. interventionist policies are still fresh, this represents a significant change.

In fact, U.S. President Barack Obama was not *** overtures in a casual way.

Before Obama embarked on his first presidential trip to Latin America, the White House made it clear that the president "is not going to Trinidad with a plan for the hemisphere... He is going to Trinidad with the intention of listening, and discussing and dealing with his colleagues as partners."

The modesty of Uncle Sam this time has been manifested in many ways.

First of all, Obama said explicitly at the summit that countries in the hemisphere are "equal partners" and the future relationship between the United States and the rest of the region should be based on "mutual respect, common interests and common values."

For a country that has long been treating Latin America as its own "backyard," these kinds of expressions are very rare, if not unprecedented.

Secondly, the president admitted several times that his country had made a number of mistakes in regional affairs.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the summit, Obama conceded: "We have at times been disengaged... and at times we sought to dictate our terms."

At a press conference on Sunday, he said his country has unpleasant history with the region and had used "double standards."

Obama also called the long-time U.S. policy of isolating Cuba "foolish."

And finally, the Obama administration seemed not shy about taking responsibility for the region's various woes.

When visiting the Dominican Republic ahead of the summit, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton acknowledged that the rampant illicit drug trade in Latin America is directly related to the huge demand for drug in her country.

Earlier, during her trip to Mexico, Clinton admitted that the increasing violence in Mexico has a lot to do with guns smuggled in from the United States.

The unusual U.S. "modesty" is not a result of a sudden impulse.

The new phenomenon can be traced to Obama's foreign policy philosophy and has a lot to do with the changing realities in and outside the United States.

Obama is known for his different approach in dealing with foreign affairs from his predecessor George W. Bush, who once favored unilateralism and pre-emptive military strikes.

The new president is more inclined to multilateralism and the notion of "soft power" and "smart power."

Due to the historical tensions between Latin America and the United States, resentment at the United States has become a mindset among many Latin Americans. The sentiment soared further during the Bush years.

Obama and his advisors may be convinced that a modest gesture could be an effective way to ease such negative feelings.

Domestically, the Latinos in the United States are gaining more political power and are asking the new administration to treat their original countries with more respect.

Meanwhile, Obama has apparently realized that he will not be able to successfully handle the thorny issues of illegal immigration and drugs without cooperation from these southern neighbors.

On the regional level, the balance of power is shifting. Over the last decade, U.S. influence in the hemisphere has declined in a number of aspects:

-- The leftist or centrist governments are increasingly the norm in Latin America and the Caribbean.

-- Brazil has emerged as an alternative pole in the Americas to the United States and the Rio process has a life of its own.

-- Venezuela has become the single largest provider of development assistance to the Caribbean and Central America.

-- Hemispheric integration is taking place without the United States. The new south-driven security systems are under discussion and the Organization of American States is no longer a U.S.-dominated forum.

On the global stage, the United States has been weakened by the Iraq war and the ongoing financial crisis.

The "Washington Consensus," which Washington had used to teach Latin America how to develop their economy, has been "pronounced dead."

In a sense, the G7 has all but been replaced by the G20 that includes large Latin American economies such as Brazil, Mexico and Argentina, whose bargaining power has thus been increased.

In addition, big players outside the hemisphere are enhancing ties with Latin America.

Although Latin America is not part of the urgent agenda for Washington, the United States has a huge stake in the region's stability.

As a South American leader put it: if Uncle Sam is always surrounded by "poor and backward neighbors", it can't do better alone eventually.

Obama's new gesture has been well received by countries in the region, including those long-time harsh critics of U.S. foreign policy.

However, the traditional mentality of U.S. exceptionalism and domestic political competition may drag Obama's feet as he tries to blaze a new trail in the region.

For Latin American countries, while the U.S. "modesty" may be music to their ears, they will care more about something tangible -- hoping to see the United States backs up words with deeds.