28 September 2001

Focus on Terrorism Should Strengthen U.S.-Latin Ties, Say Diplomats

Washington -- In the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, U.S. and Brazilian diplomats agree that an enhanced alliance between the United States and the countries of Latin America is vital to the interests of the entire Western Hemisphere.

At a forum hosted on September 28 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where panelists discussed the hemisphere's response to terrorism, Thomaz Guedes da Costa -- a prominent security expert from Brazil -- said that he expects to see "extensive bilateral and multilateral cooperation" in what he described as the "silent war" on terrorism.

"Many steps can be taken in [the areas of] law enforcement and exchange of information" throughout the Americas, he declared. Da Costa added that a wide range of largely unpublicized, but critical, assistance efforts will constitute "the undercurrents of this ocean" as nations around the globe respond in their various capacities to the shared threat of potential terrorist activity.

Some countries in the hemisphere are still evaluating how best to marshal their resources against terrorism, he noted, and some may still be debating how deeply they should involve themselves in such initiatives. But leadership requires making tough decisions, he said, and Brazilian officials are rising to the occasion "because in this new war, they are the tip of the spear" in explaining the scope of the problem to the Brazilian population.

Mexico and Canada, as the United States' nearest neighbors, "are integral parts of the U.S. homeland defense" strategy, da Costa said. Since President Vicente Fox of Mexico has signaled that he would like his nation to assume a larger role on the world stage, Mexico's policy on combating terrorism will almost certainly be of great interest to observers in the region. "How will Mexico engage? Will it become a global player?" he asked. "I'm sure that other [Latin American] countries will face a similar challenge, but not to the same extent that Mexico will."

Roger Noriega, U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), vividly recalled learning of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks while in Lima, Peru, as a member of the U.S. delegation headed by Secretary of State Colin Powell at a conference for Western Hemisphere foreign affairs ministers. "The [conference] agenda was the Inter-American Democratic Charter, an important statement of [regional] solidarity," he remembered. The meeting was already underway when an aide approached and informed Powell about the unfolding crisis in the United States. As television news reports began broadcasting images of the devastation, "Secretary Powell felt it was very important not only to witness these terrible events, but to initiate a response," Noriega said.

With security forces suddenly in a state of high alert and flight schedules thrown into disarray, "conference delegates found themselves grounded in Lima [for several hours], and a flurry of diplomacy began," he told the CSIS audience. Noriega praised Brazil, Argentina and Chile for being "at the forefront" of immediate efforts to assemble a hemisphere-wide alliance against terrorism, and cited Brazil -- in particular -- for its leadership. By calling for the invocation of the Inter-American Treaty of Mutual Assistance (commonly known as the Rio Treaty), which regards an attack on any OAS member state as an attack on all the others, "Brazil demonstrated an understanding that the world had changed" from the moment that terrorists struck New York and Washington, he declared.

"The Rio Treaty, representing a commitment to collective hemispheric defense, is very important," Noriega said. During the layover in Lima, "we were able to reach out to several Canadian diplomats," he said, "and we made it clear that our vision of the Rio Treaty would include a place for Canada and the Caribbean nations," regardless of the fact that those countries are not signatories to the treaty. "Canada and the nations of the Caribbean should at least have observer status" in discussions concerning the treaty's implementation, he said, adding that Canadian officials "were very sympathetic" to the overtures.

The treaty, formally invoked by unanimous vote at the OAS on September 19, directs regional governments to offer "effective reciprocal assistance to address these attacks and any similar attacks," Noriega observed. Under the terms of the treaty, he said, "such state parties shall use all available methods to pursue, capture and punish the perpetrators" of aggression against an OAS member state.

"What we witnessed at the OAS is a very, very strong expression of political will on the part of the member states," Noriega said. "[Countering] this attack on humanity requires widespread cooperation. Brazil chairs the Rio Treaty committee, and member states will use this mechanism to keep the other members informed" of their actions to thwart terrorist objectives.

He indicated that the OAS has taken additional steps since invoking the treaty, as well. "The OAS is moving already, pursuant to the resolution of the [regional] foreign ministers, to update the Rio Treaty and to draft a new convention against terrorism," he pointed out. To that end, he said, "the OAS will coordinate a response from high-level policy-makers before the end of the year."

The ultimate goal, Noriega proclaimed, is "to drain the swamp, to inhibit the ability of terrorists to operate in this hemisphere." On September 11, hijackers "not only murdered innocent people, they attacked our common principles and ideals," he said. "The OAS is the perfect mechanism to move this [anti-terrorism] effort forward, and the Rio Treaty is not only a symbolic but a practical tool for this purpose."

Ruben Barbosa, Brazil's ambassador to the United States, was the third and final panelist at the CSIS forum. The September 11 terrorist assaults produced "a huge reaction in Brazil," he said. "What happened was a crime, was unacceptable." The Brazilian public "condemned the attacks in the strongest terms," as did Brazil's President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, who "right from the beginning" made his position against terrorism abundantly clear, Barbosa stressed. "He [also] recognized that this was a different kind of war."

In promoting "solidarity in the fight against this [terrorist] aggression," the Rio Treaty operates on "the same principles as NATO [the North Atlantic Treaty Organization]," Barbosa said. Moreover, the Brazilian government believes that "the multilateral approach [in combating terrorism] is the appropriate one," because a coalition can strengthen the legitimacy of whatever actions are taken and can help "build support for international law," he said.

Barbosa then asked, rhetorically, "what is expected from us by the United States?" Brazil, like many other countries in Latin America, is committed to providing "an exchange of information and intelligence, tighter control of its borders, and close monitoring of financial transactions" to curb money laundering and to prevent funds from reaching suspected terrorists, he said.

"The Rio Treaty states that all [signatory] countries are required to comply with these obligations," the ambassador pointed out. "[Yet] according to the treaty, no state shall be required to use armed forces without its consent. This provision is important, and Brazil feels it should be emphasized." In any event, "the United States has indicated that countries should contribute according to their various capacities," Barbosa said. "The region is not in the forefront in the fight against terrorism, but we are ready to do what we can."

Throughout Latin America, however, "there are concerns that a new Cold War will develop," he cautioned. "For Brazil and its neighbors, this is significant. There are fears that Latin America will drop off the United States' radar screen" as the U.S. government concentrates primarily on the terrorist threat. Growing anxiety in the Western Hemisphere over the region's overall status in the context of U.S. foreign policy was exacerbated, he said, by the fact that there was scant mention in the U.S. press about the OAS resolution to invoke the Rio Treaty. Barbosa warned that many Latin American leaders worry that this lack of attention suggests that the United States does not attach much importance to the region.

Several U.S. officials attending the CSIS forum assured Barbosa that the paucity of U.S. media reports on the OAS initiative was by no means a barometer of the United States' interest in the Western Hemisphere, which they said is gauged much more accurately by President Bush's strong affinity for Latin America. Bush has repeatedly declared that the hemisphere is an area of particular consequence to him, since its geography gives it greater proximity to the United States than any other region. Additionally, Bush insisted on inviting President Vicente Fox of Mexico as his first guest for an official state visit to Washington. For his part, Barbosa agreed that Bush has received more Latin American heads of state at the White House during his first two months in office than any U.S. president in recent memory.

Besides invoking the Rio Treaty, the OAS member states issued a resolution highlighting the aftershocks and the economic uncertainty stemming from the terrorist attacks. "Economic unrest may affect trade and investment, which are already diminishing in the region," Barbosa noted. "This is very alarming to Latin America." He spoke again of the pervasive fear that "U.S. attention to the region may fade at a time when it is most needed."

The economic slowdown in the United States and Europe had already affected Brazil before the terrorist attacks occurred, he said, hinting that worsening conditions might exacerbate instability in the hemisphere. Brazil remains a major trading partner for the United States, so its economic health could have far-reaching implications, Barbosa argued. "Social and economic problems in Latin America shouldn't be ignored, even though the United States' main focus now is the fight against terrorism," he said.

Da Costa, too, expressed concern about potentially serious financial repercussions in Latin America from the terrorist attacks. "Don't forget," he said, "we have presidential elections [in Brazil] next year, and the economic impact [of the attacks] will make a difference." Barbosa expanded on that theme: "Violence is increasing throughout the region, because of poverty and the resulting social problems. Things are changing rapidly in many areas, and additional burdens are being put on our shoulders in the wake of the attacks. Tourism has been affected; the insurance industry is being affected. Governments are required to respond. These are the new tensions we have to live with."

The Bush Administration, said Noriega, realizes that many people around the world "are worried that the United States is focused on Afghanistan and the Middle East -- at the expense of other regions, including Europe -- so Latin America should not feel isolated." But, despite those fears, the United States hopes that its partners will recognize that there will undoubtedly be "collateral gains" to the collective fight against terrorism, he said. Noriega predicted that more funding would become available for law enforcement efforts to help protect the entire region, contributing significantly to the hemisphere's security.

Furthermore, "security can't be looked at in purely military terms, but also in terms of economic and immigration matters," said an official from the U.S. Department of Defense. "The countries of the Western Hemisphere will be very much of a player in this arena: in fact, their standing may well be enhanced."

Noriega said that the United States was "enormously grateful" to its fellow OAS members for invoking the Rio Treaty. Some countries "may have to grapple with the domestic political implications [of the attacks] within their own territory, and the United States is sensitive to that," he added.

Da Costa urged the United States' friends in the hemisphere to display sensitivity, as well. "I'm not sure that the Latin American governments are aware of the changes in the American psyche that have occurred since September 11," he said. Like Noriega, he foresaw "all types of collateral gains" resulting from collective efforts against terrorism. Nonetheless, "there will have to be improvements in intelligence sharing and collective security measures" throughout the region, he added.

"In the Americas, we have multilateralism because of our common principles and ideals," Noriega concluded. "We're not pursuing multilateralism of the lowest common denominator, but of the highest values. The Rio Treaty is an illustration of this." The United States, he said, looks forward to working closely with its regional partners in the fight against terrorism, and also on a broad range of other critical issues.