tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post1572562702012146595..comments2024-02-21T05:16:22.788-05:00Comments on Two Weeks Notice: A Latin American Politics Blog: Free Trade and U.S. PolicyGreg Weekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765114859595124082noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post-3057892684347259902007-12-07T15:38:00.000-05:002007-12-07T15:38:00.000-05:00Mike, I agree, but I wish we could get past the re...Mike, I agree, but I wish we could get past the requirement of being "aligned" or "loyal." Loyalty then trumps empirical reality, so we need to ratify an FTA despite reservations we may have.<BR/><BR/>John, I don't know if that's the case or not, but certainly Venezuela and Cuba pick up on the "us or them" mentality, which just serves to foster more artificial divisions.Greg Weekshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15765114859595124082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post-34696004191966661302007-12-06T10:37:00.000-05:002007-12-06T10:37:00.000-05:00If I remember correctly, when Colombia got its dea...If I remember correctly, when Colombia got its deal the the US last year, Bolivia lost a large export market for soybeans. Venezuela and Cuba stepped in buy more of that commodity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post-13554554870751590682007-12-06T10:11:00.000-05:002007-12-06T10:11:00.000-05:00It's not just the US press and politicians that li...It's not just the US press and politicians that link the two issues. Local business leaders and politicians in Latin America do the same thing. Colombia is a good example - you can find plenty of people wondering "well, Chavez spits in the face of the US, while Uribe is very loyal. If the US Congress and Hillary Clinton won't support an FTA with Colombia, what more do we need to do to be aligned with the US? We are no closer to the US than Venezuela." Whether it is wrong or right is open to debate, but the perception is that the two issues are very much linked.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com