06/07/2011
Raúl Rivera: “Latin America would be globally relevant if it were one sole region. Unfortunately, it is constituted by a fragmentation of countries”
“When talking about the potential future of the relationship between Europe and Latin America, the first question that Latin America must ask itself is what it wants to be when it grows up. That remains unclear yet”
“The role that Latin America must play is to continue being the richest region of the emerging world. Latin America must innovate with new solutions to be able to face the problems of the emerging world. In this sense, it could play an important role as a strategic partner of the European Union. Such an alliance would empower both regions”
Ramón Guillermo Aveledo: “Latin American democracy requires a new citizenship: political, economic, and social. The instrument of a new political citizenship is a strong State. Spread across the greater part of the continent, democracy can and must be developed by strengthening the State through its modernisation. We need a strengthened State, not by its size, but by its ability to fulfil its social role. Strengthening legality (separation of powers, a suitable administration of justice), transparency and decentralisation. Strengthening political parties, offering fluid citizen participation channels, and enhancing the prestige of politics as a duty of solidarity and civic service. Strengthening the capacity for more efficient and effective State actions when devising and applying public policies”
“In general we can say that countries in Latin America have real democracy, in spite of the fact that there isn’t one in Cuba yet and that Venezuela lives in a constant struggle to preserve it. To a lesser extent, we still can find this struggle in countries like Nicaragua, Bolivia or Ecuador”
Eusebio Mujal-León: “There’s no such thing as ‘Latin America’, what I see is a fragmented region. The key to solve this problem is the existence of a country project. Very few countries have this and without this project countries cannot work”
“The greatest problem of Latin America is the weakness of the State. Corruption and the spoils system are State weaknesses”
“Cuba’s great challenge is the transition to capitalism and establishing the Rule of Law and institutionalism”
Carlos Pagni: “Modernity for Latin America is threatened by three general temptations: believing that the future will belong to the world of commodities instead of to the knowledge world, hampering regional integration, and neo-populism”
“The virus of populism infected countries where the parties system had collapsed. This was clear and dramatic in the cases of Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Argentina. Neo-populism features a government style based on fear, whose response is always demagogy favoured by the increase of incomes as a consequence of the price of commodities”
“This new populism has three general characteristics: annihilating political parties; the right to private property understood as a mere public granting exerted only as long as it is not a problem for political power; the utopian idealisation of some time of the past where it must be returned, therefore debates on the present are cancelled and all those differing from this vision are excluded”
“Whether we are or not Latin Americans is a sterile debate. The key is knowing if we have and if we want a Latin American future”
Miguel Ángel Cortés: “The Latin American community will grow if it is perceived as interesting by all member countries and if it advances in a balanced manner. The European integration process could serve as an example”
“The Spanish people have a great responsibility consolidating the Latin American Community. Therefore, we must get rid of the government most damaging for our country and for Latin America, the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero”