Miami and the FTAA

Latin CEO: Executive Strategies for the Americas, August-Sept, 2002

MOST OF THE the magazine you hold in your hands is dedicated to one idea--that Miami should become the permanent home of the Secretariat of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). To the editorial staff of this magazine, the reasons--which go beyond even the dozen we posit here--seem utterly compelling. No other city in the hemisphere so perfectly reflects the mix of Anglo and Latin cultures as does Miami. Just for starters, more than half the city's population is Latin American and Caribbean, with sizeable communities from every country in the Americas. Then there are the arguments of history, geography, communications, transportation, media, professional services, etc.--in fact, the reasons why so many Latin American and Caribbean nationals live in Miami in the first place.

Of course, there are other cities in the Americas which seek the prize of the permanent Secretariat, for reasons of prestige and possible economic benefits that may derive from such a designation. Chief among these are Mexico City and Panama City. Within the US there has come a late and somewhat bizarre bid by Atlanta, one of the least Latin cities in the country based on the concept that the FTAA Secretariat is a civic prize to be won, much like the Olympics.

Certainly a case can be made for each location. Mexico City is a supremely important business center within the geo-economics of the Americas. But it is hardly the center of the region. Panama City is still a center of banking and communications. But that is really yesterday's news, and much of that thunder has already been usurped by Miami. And Atlanta? Yes, it does have a great transportation system that feeds the US southern heartland. But try finding someone there who speaks Spanish or Portuguese.

Miami's advantages are principally twofold. Relative to South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean, it is the only politically and socially neutral city in the region. Relative to the US, no other city has more links to Latin America and the Caribbean. It is so much a part of the region that it is hardly a US city at all.

Miami is the capital of the Americas. Designating it the home of the FTAA just makes this official.

Editor-in-Chief

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