Sergio Bitar presented at a colloquium sponsored the Wilson Cen- ter's Latin American Program, July 13, 1983.
Between 1945 and 1960, the United States and its Latin American neigh- bors developed a tightly knit eco-nomic and security relationship that virtually closed the Western hemi- sphere to outsiders. That arrangement has crumbled, says Bitar, an expatri- ate Chilean businessman and govern- ment official, though the full effects have yet to be felt.
In 1960, Latin America's gross do- mestic...