by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
As Jacksonville’s port continues to grow and serve a larger part of the international community, it must stay apprised of opportunities overseas to continue that growth, and a local law firm welcomed an expert in international relations to speak to members of the business community.
V. Manuel Rocha is Foley & Lardner’s senior advisor on International Business and he shared the knowledge he acquired previously working for the U.S. Foreign Service, which included serving as U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia, running the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires as “Charge d Affaires” and serving as deputy principal officer at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, Cuba. He began his career in U.S. Foreign Service after earning his bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies from Yale University, his master’s in public administration from Harvard University and a second master’s in international relations from Georgetown University.
Rocha was visiting from the firm’s Miami office to participate in its Executive Briefing Series in a discussion titled “The Future of the Americas and U.S.-Cuban Relations.”
“As of September 2003 we are heading, and have been heading toward, two Americas,” said Rocha. “America One and America Two.”
Rocha explained that America One includes members of NAFTA (America, Canada and Mexico), six members of CAFTA (Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua), Peru and Chile. America Two consists of Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Paraguay.
One of the major differences between the two groups is that all the countries in America One have a free trade agreement with the United States. Rocha explained the importance of this difference.
“Ninety percent of Mexico’s exports come to the United States. Eleven percent of Brazil’s exports come to the United States,” said Rocha. “For Mexico, their number one trading partner is the United States. For Brazil their number one trading partner is China. Goods enter the United States from Mexico, many of them with zero tariffs. Goods enter from Brazil with very high tariffs. On ethanol, it’s a 54 percent tax.”
Rocha talked about Panama and Colombia preparing to be a part of America One, but some people were more interested in when Cuba would be able to join the group and if the embargo will be lifted by the U.S. during President Barrack Obama’s term.
“You have to look at Obama’s agenda. Is it too filled with domestic issues to deal with Cuba?” said Rocha. “It’s unrealistic to give a date when and if that could happen right now. There are too many factors involved.”
One of the benefits Cuba would enjoy from the embargo being lifted would be access to credit.
“We can give its new government hope by lifting the embargo,” said Rocha. “What does lifting the embargo do? It opens access to credit to allow it to build infrastructure and modernize the port in Havana.”
The development of that new government was also a concern of Rocha’s.
“Those of you that have been students of revolutions know that the fundamental challenge of every revolution is how to guarantee the continuity of the revolution,” said Rocha. “Especially, after the passing of the revolutionary leader. For China, it was how to survive after Mao (Tse-tung) died. For Vietnam, it was how to survive after Ho Chi Minh died. For Cuba, it is how to survive after Castro dies.”
“The answer the Chinese gave to themselves was ‘succession.’ The answer the Vietnamese gave to themselves was ‘succession.’ What the Cubans are working hard toward is a Cuban version of what China and Vietnam obtained.”
jwilhelm@baileypub
356-2466