Editorial: Our Second Issue

Abstract

When Latin American Policy (LAP) was originally conceived, the goal of the team was to call for a reflection—at least for the first two issues—on how Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries were coping—as a region or as single states—with the impact of the global economic crisis and the expectation of global change conveyed by the Obama administration in the United States. Our first issue addressed these matters by focusing on the Mercosur and North American blocs and discussing climate change and energy topics. This second issue continues with the same state of mind and offers excellent material for reflection. The reader will find in the Articles section five major contributions. José Briceño-Ruiz opens with an interesting reflection on the role and scope played by the Union of South American Nations in a post-George W. Bush era. Pablo Telman's contribution addresses an update of what is at stake in renovated Russian–Latin American relations after the end of the Cold War. Charles Ripley argues in his essay the advantages of keeping flexible exchange rates for addressing current financial crises. David Haglund makes a provocative inquiry by raising the possibility of Mexico's membership in NATO. Finally, the section closes with an insightful and timely analysis by Mauricio de María y Campos, Lilia Domínguez-Villalobos, and Flor Brown-Grossman of the need to rethink and return to industrial policies in Mexico. Our Policy Studies section features another insightful and highly pertinent comparative analysis, this time elaborated under the sponsorship of the Centro de Estudios Espinosa Yglesias, a well-respected think tank based in Mexico City and under the direction of Enrique Cárdenas. The study called on 14 highly renowned specialists from the United States and Mexico, including academics and practitioners, to discuss the circumstances under which the Mexican crisis of 1995 and the U.S. crisis of 2008 took place. The comparative reflection is worth reading, and the discussion provides policy lessons for similar crises to come. Finally, our Perspectives section presents a reflection by Isidro Morales on the current debate over development policies for the region. Isidro Morales is Editor-in-Chief of Latin American Policy.