Now that Barack Obama is the 44th president of the United States, he could improve relations with Latin America by strengthening ties with President Lula in Brazil.

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Visiting Fellow Roger F. Noriega

President Barack Obama enters one of the world's most powerful posts having never set foot in South America. However, his lack of experience can be overcome by listening, learning and cultivating the type of personal relations that are uniquely valued in Latin America.

Foremost, one hopes that Obama will suspend his famous "aloof" style to establish a cordial, open dialogue with Brasil's President Inacio "Lula" da Silva. Like Lula, Obama's election has reminded every human being of the boundless potential of genuine democracy. Both are clever, confident men who are not afraid to follow their own instincts. Both are determined to make democracy and the free market work for all of their people, in vast multiethnic societies. The partnership that these two men may be able to build on this common ground will shape the future of U.S. relations with Brasil and the rest of Latin America for decades to come.

Obama will learn from Lula that most of the region's political leaders--even those from the traditional "left"--are committed fully to responsible free-market policies and democratic governance. Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez's brand of authoritarian populism--which proposes that the poor sacrifice their freedom for food--has little appeal to genuine democrats.

President Obama would be wise to emphasize the U.S. commitment to fight structural poverty and hunger, which trap too many of the region's citizens. He also should propose the overhaul of educational systems and the elimination of illiteracy so that people from all walks of life have the essential tools to hold their governments accountable and to take advantage of new and better jobs created by growing economies. And, he should remind our neighbors that the rule of law, strong democratic institutions, simplified tax and labor codes, and first-world protections for intellectual property and private investment are the indispensable keys to economic growth.

The new president, from a political party beholden to U.S. labor unions, may be surprised to learn the depth of the commitment in the region to free trade. For example, Lula, a former labor leader, led the chorus from the developing world against "protectionism" in the face of difficult financial challenges. Obama can do his part by cementing trade ties with our ally Colombia and by encouraging Lula to exert leadership to end the impasse in the World Trade Organization Doha Round, reiterating the U.S. commitment to eliminating agricultural subsidies in concert with European and Asian concessions.

In light of his unique personal history and charisma, President Obama may manage to bury the legacy of paternalism and "zero-sum" thinking that has bedeviled relations between the United States and the rest of the Americas. Although regional leaders are not expecting the new U.S. president to deliver a regional prescription on stone tablets, they do welcome solid, respectful ties with a man who shows that he is interested in building a genuine partnership with his neighbors.

Roger F. Noriega is a visiting fellow at AEI. His law and advocacy firm, Tew Cardenas, LLP, represents U.S. and foreign governments and companies.