Inter-American Development Bank seeks new approach to Latin problems

by Jane Bussey
With leftist politicians on the rise throughout Latin America, Washington policymakers are turning their sights on the left-behind majorities fueling the populist surge.

It is the latest struggle for the hearts and minds of people in a region swept first by free market reforms favored by the U.S. government and now buffeted by a shift to more home-grown policies that sometimes fly in the face of the United States.

Sensing a seismic shift in South American sentiment, the Inter-American Development Bank recently unfurled a major initiative in Washington, D.C. to respond to the growing needs of the region's people.

Under the banner ''Building Opportunity for the Majority,'' the IDB recently lined up a series of luminaries -- from the cardinal of Honduras to Latin America's richest man to former President Bill Clinton -- to discuss the Achilles' heel of recent policies: the persistence of poverty.

The IDB initiative showcased baby steps rather than grand strides -- suggesting American and regional policymakers are still grappling with how to address the maverick leaders who are increasingly willing to break with Washington-backed policies.
...