The U.S.-Colombia Relationship “Is Fraying Under The Obama Administration”

Today, Obama Will Speak In Tampa, Florida About “Boosting Trade Ties With Latin America” Before Traveling To Colombia For The Summit Of The Americas. “President Barack Obama will face fresh pressure on Cuba and illegal drugs when he meets this week with Latin American leaders, some of whom have grown skeptical of his promise to forge a new era of partnership. Obama will join more than 30 heads of state in the coastal Colombian city of Cartagena for the Summit of the Americas. … To make that point even before leaving the U.S., Obama will stop first in Tampa, Fla., for a speech Friday on the benefits of boosting trade ties with Latin America. Florida is a pivotal state in the general election.” (Julie Pace, “In Colombia, Obama To Face Pressure On Cuba, Drugs,” The Associated Press, 4/11/12)

OBAMA REFUSED TO LEAD ON THE COLOMBIA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT

“After More Than A Decade Of Close Relations, The U.S.-Colombia Strategic Partnership Is Fraying Under The Obama Administration.” (Jose R. Cardenas, “How Obama Is Losing Colombia,” Foreign Policy, 4/25/11)

The Washington Post Described Colombia As A “Bruised Ally.” “President Obama will welcome a bruised American ally to the White House on Thursday and take a step toward mending relations.” (Editorial, “Mr. Obama’s Free-Trade Deal With Colombia,” The Washington Post, 4/6/11)

In The First Two Years Of His Presidency, Obama “Neglected” The Free Trade Agreement With Colombia And “Skipped Colombia During His Recent Tour Of The Region.” “Colombia’s reward was to be vilified by labor unions intent on torpedoing the free-trade agreement that it negotiated with the Bush administration and that has been neglected by Mr. Obama, who skipped Colombia during his recent tour of the region.” (Editorial, “Mr. Obama’s Free-Trade Deal With Colombia,” Washington Post, 4/6/11)

For Over Two Years, Obama Ignored Calls To Support The Colombia Free Trade Agreement

The U.S. International Trade Commission: “U.S. Exports To Colombia [Under The FTA] May Be Higher By Approximately $1.1 Billion.”  (James Stamps, “U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement: Potential Economy-Wide and Selected Sectoral Effects,” U.S. International Trade Commission, December 2006)

Los Angeles Times: “The Pact Would Balance And Normalize A Trade Relationship That Is Now One-Way.” “The pact would balance and normalize a trade relationship that is now one-way. Colombia has almost unfettered access to U.S. markets — 91% of its goods enter duty free — but U.S. products face tariffs of up to 35%. Each Caterpillar truck sold in Colombia, for example, is taxed more than $200,000. This is a hindrance to prosperity for both countries. Currently, about 9,000 U.S. businesses export to Colombia, and were this deal passed, that number would skyrocket.” (Editorial, “Seal the Colombian Deal,” Los Angeles Times, 11/12/08)

The New York Times: “We Believe That The Trade Pact Would Be Good For America’s Economy And Workers.” (Editorial, “Pass the Colombian Trade Pact,” The New York Times, 11/17/09)

• The New York Times: “Rejecting It Would Send A Dismal Message To Allies The World Over That The United States Is An Unreliable Partner And, Despite All That It Preaches, Does Not Really Believe In Opening Markets To Trade.” (Editorial, “Pass the Colombian Trade Pact,” The New York Times, 11/17/09)

Sens. Max Baucus (D-MT) And John Kerry (D-MA) In 2011: “Each Day We Fail To Act Costs American Jobs And Sales—And Sends Them Elsewhere.” (Max Baucus And John Kerry, Op-Ed, “The Colombia Trade Deal: A Different Kind Of Jobs Bill,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/3/11)

Obama’s “Policy Of Delay” Put U.S. Businesses At A Disadvantage

The Obama Administration’s Obstruction Of The Colombia FTA Was Part Of A “Policy Of Delay.” “The Obama administration seems to have settled on a policy of delay on the Colombia pact and the trade deal with Panama, despite sending strong signals during the Summit of the Americas in April that it wanted to move forward on both deals. Obama’s remarks after meeting with Uribe on June 29 were essentially what he said about Panama in April. And that means the administration hasn’t spent much time crafting the benchmarks and other changes to the deal that it was supposed to be working on, business lobbyists say.” (Victoria Mcgrane, “Politics Of Delay On Colombia Pact,” Politico, 7/6/09)

Colombia Is Among The Top 15 U.S. Export Markets In The World. “‘The bottom line is that Colombia is a booming market that has moved into one of the top 15 U.S. export markets in the world, but it could be even more,’ said John Murphy, the Chamber’s vice president for international affairs.” (Kevin Bogardus and Vivki Needham, “Obama Defies Unions With Colombia Deal,” The Hill, 4/7/11)

China, Argentina And Europe Furiously Strove To Increase Trade With Colombia, While The U.S. Continued To Fall Behind. “Argentina has surpassed the United States as Colombia’s top supplier of agricultural products. China has tripled its share of the Colombian market and is now Colombia’s second-largest trading partner. And Colombia is signing trade agreements with countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas that further disadvantage U.S. exporters.” (Max Baucus And John Kerry, Op-Ed, “The Colombia Trade Deal: A Different Kind Of Jobs Bill,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/3/11)

• While The Obama Administration Delayed Ratification Of Major Free Trade Deals, China Took Advantage In Latin America. “Trade between Latin America and China rocketed from $10 billion in 2000 to $140 billion in 2008.” (Tyler Bridges, “China Makes Its Move As U.S. Falls Back In Latin America,” McClatchy, 7/8/09)

Just One Year After Colombia Signed Trade Agreements With Brazil And Argentina, American Farmers’ Market Share Of Colombian Yellow Corn Had Already “Plummeted By More Than Half.” “In the case of Colombia, the losers are primarily American farmers. A case in point: yellow corn. In 2008 the US held 80 percent of the Colombian market – more than 100 million bushels. But last year, under Colombia’s trade agreement with Brazil and Argentina, tariffs on yellow corn from those countries fell to zero (compared to a 15 percent tariff on US corn). The US share of Colombia’s market plummeted by more than half.” (Howard LaFranchi, “U.S. Losing Jobs As Free Trade Agreement Languishes, Columbia Says,” Christian Science Monitor, 4/22/10)

Obama’s Inaction Threatened Florida’s Economy

Obama’s Delay Of The U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Threatened $532 Million In Florida Exports. “In total, implementing the TPA would lift Florida’s annual exports to Colombia by US$532 million.” (Enterprise Florida, “Implications Of The US-Colombia TPA For Florida,” 2/11)

Obama’s Delay Of The U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Threatened 6,400 Florida Jobs. “Therefore, in total the TPA is likely to result in the addition of over 6,400 jobs for Floridians.” (Enterprise Florida, “Implications Of The US-Colombia TPA For Florida,” 2/11)

• The Pacts Will Reduce The Cost Of Selling Many Florida Products, And Increase Exported Goods By $345 Million And Services By $187 Million. “The pacts would reduce the cost of selling many more Florida products — from aircraft engines to bulldozers, fertilizer to electronics. By reducing tariffs on U.S. goods, the Colombia pact alone is expected to increase Florida’s exports by $345 million, plus an additional $187 million in services.” (William E. Gibson, “House, Senate Set To Approve Free Trade Pact With Colombia,” Sun Sentinel, 10/11/11)

Despite Attempts To Blame Congress, It Was Obama Who Refused To Submit The Trade Deal to Congress

In August 2011, Obama Said That Passing Trade Deals Is “Something That Congress Could Do Right Now” To Create Jobs. OBAMA: “Trade deals.  You know, trade deals haven’t always been good for America.  There have been times where we haven’t gotten a fair deal out of our trade deals.  But we’ve put together a package that is going to allow us to start selling some Chevys and some Fords to Korea so that — we don’t mind having Hyundais and Kias here, but we want some ‘Made in America’ stuff in other countries.  That’s something that Congress could do right now.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks By The President In A Town Hall Meeting, Cannon Falls, MN, 8/15/11)

But At The Time Of The Speech, The White House Had “Not Yet Formally Sent The Deals To Congress For A Vote.” “President Obama has touted three pending U.S. trade deals as measures that could immediately spur job growth, if only Congress would approve them to become law.  The only problem: the White House has not yet formally sent the deals to Congress for a vote.” (Devin Dwyer and Ann Compton, “Obama Says Congress Can Approve Trade Deals ‘Right Now,’ But Hasn’t Sent Them To Hill,” ABC News, 8/22/11)

• The Wall Street Journal: “In Order For Congress To Ratify Free-Trade Agreements, The White House Must First Send The Signed Deals To The Other End Of Pennsylvania Avenue.” (Editorial, “The Biggest Trade Barrier,” The Wall Street Journal, 8/20/11)

Obama’s Failed Leadership Clearly To Blame For The “Long-Delayed Free Trade Agreement.” “Where Colombia is concerned, this is seen most tellingly in the continuing reluctance of the Congress of the United States to approve the long-delayed free trade agreement between the two countries — and the refusal thus far of the Obama Administration to force the Congress to face the issue by formally submitting the agreement to the Congress and scheduling a vote.” (James Bacchus, “US Risks Becoming Economic Afterthought In Latin America,” The Huffington Post, 4/14/10)

LATIN AMERICA HAS BEEN LARGELY IGNORED DURING OBAMA’S PRESIDENCY

“U.S. President Barack Obama Is Likely To Face Complaints About A Perceived US Neglect Of Latin America When He Huddles With Regional Leaders At A Summit In Colombia This Weekend.” (“US To Hear Grumbling At Americas Summit,” AFP, 4/12/12)

The Washington Post: Central America “Mostly Ignored In Washington.” “Two elections in Central America have underlined the growing problems in a region that is mostly ignored in Washington. On Sunday former general Otto Perez won Guatemala’s presidential election with a slogan long favored by Latin American authoritarians: ‘mano dura,’ or iron hand, which he promises to apply to the Mexican drug traffickers and criminal gangs that have virtually taken over the country and sent the murder rate soaring. As with Honduras and El Salvador, Guatemala is in danger of being overwhelmed by the drug trade and the violence it engenders. But Mr. Perez’s promises to cut the crime rate in half are unlikely to be fulfilled by his plan to expand and deploy the army.” (Editorial, “Central American Elections Highlight U.S. Neglect Of The Region,” The Washington Post, 11/8/11)

Obama Has Ignored Violence And Conflict In Latin America That Lies Right At The U.S. Doorstep. “To my surprise, in his speech at the General Assembly’s opening session, President Obama talked at length about Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Cote D’Ivorie – about almost every major conflict, except the one right next to the United States…it felt odd that Obama didn’t mention the words drugs, cartels, organized crime, or Mexico even once in his U.N. speech, ignoring a war that has caused nearly 40,000 deaths in Mexico alone over the past five years – much more than all recent Middle Eastern uprisings — and that is becoming one of the biggest hurdles to economic growth in the region.” (Andres Oppenheimer, “Obama’s U.N. Omission: The War Next Door,” The Miami Herald, 9/21/11)

Obama’s Approval Rating In Latin America “At A New Low”

“U.S. President Barack Obama’s Job Approval Rating In Latin America Is At A New Low Ahead Of The Sixth Summit Of The Americas Taking Place In Cartagena, Colombia, This Week.” (Peter Cynkar, “Opinion Briefing: U.S.-Latin American Relations,” Gallup, 4/12/12)

• Obama’s Median Job Approval At 47 Percent In 2011, Down From 62 Percent In 2009. “Obama’s median job approval rating in the region rating stands at 47% in 2011, down from 62% in 2009.” (Peter Cynkar, “Opinion Briefing: U.S.-Latin American Relations,” Gallup, 4/12/12)
• Only 24 Percent Of Latin Americans “Believe Relations Will Strengthen With Obama,” Down From 42 Percent In 2009.  “Many Latin Americans have lost faith in Obama’s ability to strengthen ties between Latin America and the U.S.: A median of 24% across the Latin American countries Gallup surveyed in 2011 believe relations will strengthen with Obama, down from 43% in 2009.” (Peter Cynkar, “Opinion Briefing: U.S.-Latin American Relations,” Gallup, 4/12/12)

Obama Failed To Meet Expectations In Many Latin American Countries. “In neighboring Mexico, residents were half as likely to believe relations would get stronger under Obama in 2011 (19%) as they were in 2009 (43%). Mexicans, along with Venezuelans (17%), Bolivians (17%), Trinbagonians (16%), and Guatemalans (13%), are the least likely to expect relations to get stronger.” (Peter Cynkar, “Opinion Briefing: U.S.-Latin American Relations,” Gallup, 4/12/12)