ABSTRACT
By the late 1980s, most Latin American economic policymakers came to agree on a diagnosis of the region's fundamental maladies and a set of prescriptions for restoring its health. Most Latin American governments and many opposition movements in Latin America in recent times want stronger links with the United States. Latin America's potential for partnerships with the United States is now greater than ever, as its politics stabilize and its market-oriented economies shape up. In a post-Cold War world, where Europe and East Asia seem to be building economic communities, it is obvious why some Latin Americans want regional integration with North America. Latin America's importance as an export market is all the greater at a time when US dependence on trade has increased and when regaining export competitiveness is a central US aim. The chances for positive US policies to reinforce Latin American progress and thereby advance US aims depend fundamentally, however, on revitalizing the US economy.
