Ten years after.I remember 1996. It was my first year in Chile, just having left my first big journalism job at The Miami Herald, where news for my beat meant mayors and police chiefs, with the occasional human-interest story for the weekend edition. Landing in Chile was landing at the beginning of a truly big story. Free trade was coming on fast, and the Summit of the Americas The Summit of the Americas is the name for one of a sequence of summits bringing together the countries of the Americas for discussion of a variety of issues. These encounters are organized by a number of multilateral bodies led by the Organization of American States. would soon be held in Santiago. All the presidents from the hemisphere were coming, as were their entourages, press corps', police details and snipers. It was madness, but fascinating. It was also a strange time to begin any new chapter in a career, and accidentally prescient pre·scient adj. 1. Of or relating to prescience. 2. Possessing prescience. [French, from Old French, from Latin praesci . Every single adult Chilean I met took it upon himself or herself that year to ask me, endlessly it seemed, exactly when the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. was going to get serious and sign a free-trade deal with Chile. Mostly, I passed on explaining global geopolitics geopolitics, method of political analysis, popular in Central Europe during the first half of the 20th cent., that emphasized the role played by geography in international relations. , which is what trade has become, by pointing out that Chile, simply put, wasn't the goal: A growing China is what then-President Bill Clinton was gearing up for. I was right--China is a big deal, as many of the past Bravo winners say in interviews in this issue--but I was wrong too. Chile does matter. As does El Salvador El Salvador (ĕl sälväthōr`), officially Republic of El Salvador, republic (2005 est. pop. 6,705,000), 8,260 sq mi (21,393 sq km), Central America. , and Brazil, and Korea and every country in the world. Free trade is being built brick-by-brick. And, unlike many big countries, Chile got an amazing head start. They are reaping the rewards now. A decade later, the changes have been nothing short of overwhelming. As Bravo CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of the Decade Carlos Slim notes in his interview in this issue, technology is moving so fast that we've only just begun to see the changes before us. It can be a paralyzing thought, or a motivating one. Slim, for one, is motivated. As the next 10 years roll by, here's to your being motivated, too. Greg Brown Greg Brown may refer to:
gbrown@latintrade.com P.S. Just in case the progress of the last decade seems paltry (are you really better off?), take a look at our extensive review of the last 10 years in numbers for the region's big eight economies. It's an eye-opener. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion