Michael Shifter interviewed by CGTN
CGTN Americas / Youtube

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  • Frances Kuo

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Coronavirus in the Americas

This post is also available in: Português Español

In this interview with CGTN America, Michael Shifter spoke with Frances Kuo about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Latin America and the Caribbean, discussing inequality, the informal economy, and China’s presence in the region.

Comments by Michael Shifter:

“There has been a real absence of leadership — in fact, resistance to recognizing reality and dismissing the gravity of this pandemic.”

“Seventy percent of the labor market in Peru is informal… The people who live in these informal economies, who by and large are disproportionately poor, are going to suffer more because they simply cannot accommodate and survive in this environment.”

“Hopefully, the catastrophe that we’re seeing in the region is going to force a rethinking of a lot of politicians who will realize that they have major problems that need to be addressed: problems that we’ve known about for a long time, such as informality, inequality, lack of investment in education and health, and other serious structural and economic problems.”

“The United States has been completely absent, as far as I can tell, in responding to this crisis in Latin America. There has been no serious plan for any kind of cooperation with the region in terms of sharing information, helping with best practices, or coordination with resources.”

“China has engaged in what’s called “mask diplomacy,” providing masks and in some cases ventilators to a lot of countries… Latin American governments being pragmatic and just wanting to get some relief from this utter disaster are clearly welcoming the Chinese support.”

[…]

Watch the full interview here

COMENTARIOS DE TARACIUK BRONER:

Q & A:

Q

¿Qué tan válido ves tú — o legítimo — el temor que reporta la Casa Blanca de que aumente la migración haitiana?

A

“Una política de seguridad que funcione debe tener dos pilares: una visión punitivista donde quien comete un delito vaya preso, pero con debido proceso y bajo investigaciones por un poder judicial independiente y, por otro lado, una serie de políticas que sean más sociales y preventivas que eviten la comisión del delito.” 

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