It's time for a pivot to Latin America

The U.S. needs to stop treating the region as a foreign policy headache and finally embrace its strategic importance.

Latin America is the overlooked wallflower in American diplomacy: Viewed through the lens of foreign policy headaches, but often sidelined for more pressing concerns in the Middle East and the desire to pivot to Asia.

But the region is more than just a backdrop to the pressing issues of immigration and drug trafficking. It's pulsating with untapped potential, yet its strategic importance has been grossly underestimated. As the U.S. grapples with finding a solution to the border crisis, it's high time we wake up and smell the café con leche: It’s time to pivot to Latin America.

For decades, U.S. foreign policy towards Latin America has oscillated between heavy-handed interventions and benign neglect, akin to a gardener who only notices the garden when overrun with weeds. This approach has allowed democracy to wane, corruption to flourish and violence to fester, in large part fueling the very immigration issues we grapple with today.

It has also left a vacuum that China has been quick to fill, extending its influence through infrastructure projects, technology investments, and economic partnerships. As Larry Summers aptly put it, while the U.S. offers lectures, China builds airports. China's involvement in critical supply chains, particularly in Mexico, should serve as a wake-up call to why the US is losing its competition with China in its own backyard.

Beyond foreign aid, the U.S. should be investing in Latin America's infrastructure, technology, and industries, providing an alternative to Chinese investments. This includes embracing free trade agreements and supporting local economies to create jobs and opportunities.

Stepping up our game in Latin America offers an alternative to China's checkbook diplomacy. This isn't about outspending Beijing; it's about outsmarting them with strategic and beneficial investments.

Today’s drivers of immigration – economic instability, violence and corruption, lack of opportunities and climate change– are symptoms of deeper issues that can be also mitigated through a more profound engagement.

Investing in the region's development can create societies where people envision their future at home, not across a border. This approach goes beyond erecting barriers; it's about building bridges, both literal and metaphorical.

By working together on issues like drug trafficking and organized crime, we can address these problems' root causes rather than just their symptoms. This collaborative approach to security and diplomacy respects the autonomy of Latin American countries and acknowledges their role in shaping their future.

We don't need to resurrect the Monroe Doctrine with its overtones of intervention. Nor can these problems be solved by reducing them to an “immigration” aid package. What's needed is a modern approach that views Latin America not as a problem to be managed but as a partner in building a more stable, prosperous hemisphere. This pivot means ramping up economic engagement and investment in a way that benefits both sides of the Rio Grande. It's about supporting democratic institutions and good governance through partnership and collaboration.

None of this mitigates the need to enact a cocktail of policies to address the broader immigration crisis: Secure, but fair borders, pathways for legal immigration that reflect economic needs and humanitarian values, and dealing with the millions of undocumented immigrants already contributing to society.

But by stopping to treat Latin America like a distant cousin and starting to recognizing it as a region key our national interests, the U.S. would be addressing the long-term factors driving migration, while fostering a stronger, more prosperous hemisphere that would benefit our national security interest.