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In June, Andrés Rugeles published a book that helps us better
understand the Latin American region. It is called "Latin America.
La visión de sus líderes" (Latin America. The Vision
of its Leaders, published by Editorial Planeta Colombiana, Bogota, Colombia,
and presented by the author on August 28th at the CARI, in Buenos Aires.
Among other activities, both in the public and academic sectors, Colombian
author Andrés Rugeles has held positions at the Andean Development
Corporation - CAF (Development Bank of Latin America) and also in the
Colombian government. He frequently publishes national and international
opinion columns and articles, and is a member of the Editorial Board of
the magazine Foreign Affairs Latinoamérica.
The 987-page book has a flexible, high-quality format that is well-written
and easy to read.
Right from the general introduction, Andrés Rugeles states the
central question that allows us to understand the essence of his book:
"Where is Latin America headed? A perennial question, a life purpose".
He then goes on to highlight the essence of the thought that drives him
in this work: "Latin America is both dream and reality. It has always
been present in my life and professional trajectory. For years I have
focused on understanding the region, navigating its turbulent waters and,
in particular, contributing to its development, welfare and international
insertion". It was this statement that led me to read the book with
a great deal of enthusiasm.
After reading this dense book, one can conclude that the author succeeded
in what he set out to accomplish. He did so with the collaboration of
the one hundred personalities who participated in the development of the
work. From the beginning, they trusted the idea he proposed to them, which
he himself considers "perhaps a little utopian and out of the ordinary
in its scope and diversity".
Rugeles reminds us that there are different "Latin Americas",
ranging from Mexico and Central America to the Caribbean and the South,
"with their vast natural and human resources, and also a wealth of
opportunities to address their many problems". Therefore, he adds,
the question posed has several possible answers "which are not unambiguous,
but are also complex and fascinating."
Andrés Rugeles' book is essentially divided into two parts. The
first part is a collection of interviews that the author conducted with
some thirty leaders, organized around the following central themes: poverty
and inequality; growth and productivity; the environment; democracy; regional
integration; and international insertion. In all the interviews, Rugeles
introduces questions aimed at tapping into the experience of the interviewees.
The second part of the book contains fifty-five academic articles written
by different experts specifically chosen by the author, focusing on six
thematic areas: economy and finance; social issues; environment and energy
transition; democracy and political issues; integration and international
trade; and international insertion.
In this opportunity we will only make an introductory reference to the
first part of Rugeles' book, and we will limit ourselves to the interviews
related to the themes of regional integration and international insertion,
which are most closely related to the issues that we have addressed in
our monthly newsletter over the years. Such interviews are those with
Martín Torrijos (former President of Panama); Celso Amorín
(former Foreign Minister of Brazil); Sergio Díaz-Granados (President
of CAF); Ilan Goldfajn (former IDB President); Andrés Oppenheimer
(journalist); Santiago Peña (President of Paraguay); Enrique Iglesias
(former IDB President); Jorge Castañeda (former Secretary of Foreign
Affairs of Mexico); Rebeca Gryspan (Secretary General of UNCTAD); and
Angela Patricia Janiot (journalist).
Rugeles concludes the book with his reflections on the future of Latin
America at the end of the storm. I will take this opportunity to quote
just one of the main contributions of his final thoughts:
"Latin America has much to contribute and, on this occasion,
the opportunity to be part of the solution to global challenges. It
must do so with ideas, agents of change, factors of production, institutions
and, above all, with real and concrete actions. It is therefore time
for a renewed leadership and a new social contract between the State,
its citizens and the private sector."
It is obvious that the final reflections that can be drawn from the work
by Andrés Rugeles are more than those mentioned here. I leave the
task of exploring them to those who decide to read the book in its entirety.
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