Latin America and the Caribbean in 2012 to 2017

This is the final report on the results of a conversation among a prestigious group of Latin American and Caribbean academics and practitioners who gathered in Miami, Florida in January 2012 to review current regional affairs and share their views on the main trends and challenges facing the region over the next five years. The list of participants appears at the end of this report. Participants were asked to reflect on four questions about future trends, key actors, potential major events and the role of the military. Rather than coming up with a set of specific conclusions, participants offered a variety of recommendations and reflections on Latin America and the Caribbean for the immediate and medium-range future. Florida International University’s Applied Research Center coordinated the event and appreciates the contributions of all participants.

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Latin America and the Middle East: The Dynamic of an Evolving Relationship by Peter DeShazo and Johanna Mendelson Forman, April 2010

Ties between Latin America (and the Caribbean for the purpose of this report) and the Middle East are growing stronger but remain modest in nature and scope. They are based largely on the occasional confluence of national foreign policy goals between individual countries in both regions, expanding trade in the context of an increasingly globalized world economy, historic links arising from the presence of influential communities of Arab-descendants in the New World, and a small but expanding Muslim population in the region. The holding of “Summits of Arab-South American Countries” in 2005 and 2009 and a considerable increase in inter-regional official visits by heads of state and other high officials on both sides have reinforced the image – and to a lesser extent the reality – of stronger ties between the regions.

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Islam and Muslims in Latin America: An Overview (Abstract) by Maria Narbona, Florida International University
April 2010

Islam is one of the major world religions practiced in Latin America today. While statistics are contradictory and its history is controversial, Islam is nonetheless becoming part of the social and cultural realities of most Latin American countries. Today Latin Americans of Muslim descent and converts alike practice Sunni or Shiite Islam, along with other more or less controversial forms of Islam, such as Sufism.

In light of the failure to compile accurate statistics so as to provide reliable and sound information about these communities, an analysis of the institutional life of Muslim communities in Latin America is among the most reliable and important source of information. Muslim communities in Latin America are in constant flux, adapting with flexibility to their social, political, and economic environments. In order to provide a glimpse into the variety of Muslim communities present today in Latin America, this report analyzes the presence of Islam in Latin America via three case studies, that is, Mexico, Cuba, and Brazil.

Muslim Identities in Latin America: Workshop Participant Papers, March 2010

	Muslim Identities in Brazil: Shared Traditions and Cultural Creativity in the Making of Islamic Communities April 2010 By Paulo G. Pinto, Universidade Federal Fluminense - Brazil
	Muslims in Cuba April 2010 By Dr. Luis Mesa Delmonte, El Colegio de Mexico, Mexico City.
	Being a New Muslim in Mexico: Conversion as Class Mobility April 2010 By Camila Pastor de María y Campos

Populism and Foreign Policy in Venezuela and Iran (Abstract) by Manochehr Dorraj, Texas Christian University
March 2010

The remarkable ascendance of Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez, has generated new interest in Latin America's recurrent populism. Like the charismatic populists that preceded him, Chávez rose to power rapidly and became a symbol of deepening social polarization. He is seen as a pivotal figure in promoting a sharp leftward shift in Latin American politics , and has been criticized for his authoritarian tendencies. In the words of Jorge Castañeda, "Chavismo" is the "wrong left" for Latin America. Hugo Chávez has become a much discussed leader for all these reasons, but he is perhaps most notorious for his aggressive foreign policy and for the strongly confrontational posture he has adopted toward the United States. Chávez has pursued high profile efforts to check U.S. influence in Latin America, assert his own leadership in the region, and demonstrate that Third World states can act more independently of Washington’s wishes.

In a similar vein, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was a virtual political unknown prior to his election as president of Iran in 2005. Since his election, Ahmadinejad’s attempt to go back to the populist policies of the early days of the Islamic revolution, his confrontational political style, his authoritarianism, and his incendiary remarks against the United States and Israel have rendered him also a polarizing and controversial figure. His administration has been very assertive in promoting a pan-Islamic agenda and in trying to strengthen Iran's regional influence,  much as Chávez has tried to exert his leadership in Latin America. As a result, Chávez and Ahmadinejad have dominated Western media coverage as emerging Third World leaders who are willing to challenge an American-led regional and global order.

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