América Latina: ¿clase media de las naciones?

as the importance oí the English language now in the wodd is in– creasingly ,aerived írom the stature of the United States, the impor– tance oí the Portuguese ¡angitage 15 increasingly derived from the stature of Brazil. Braúl's future relations with Portuguese-speaking Afrka with spedal reference to Aogola, but also Mozambique, Guinea– Bissau and the isIands, may become:a major factor in the years aheaa. The third fador that makes black Africa have some kind of link– age with Latín Amerka is the nature of its dependency relationshíp. Latín Amerka is to the United St:ates what Africa is to Western Europe. Western Europe became the col055us of the North for Afrka, the U.S. the coJossus over Latín America. The fourth factor linking Latin America with Africa is the nature oí their fragmentation. The two continents fragmented into multiple countríe5, many of them of very límited siz·e and i.afIuence. The fifth factor 1S the comparable mineral resourees. These may sometimes provide a future opportunity to aeate producer cartels or organizations that might help to iofluenee the nature of the world economy. OPEC is one striking precedent. But for the moment Zam– bians, Zarians and Chilleans do not have much leverage with regard to copper, since the price is weH clown. But the fiaet that they are forced togethe.r by a shared mine.ral concern couId have repercussions in their future. Sixthly, there are comparable agricultural economies. Whereas copper has gone <lowu, coffee is still riding fairly high. What might link Uganda, Kenya aud Br.azil 00 the coffee front, eouid have possibilities later of both cooperation in priee.fixing aud competition in marketing. In Third World polities, the two main changes of the 1970's have been the rise of Arab economic influence and the rise of Cuba's military influence in Africa. In East-West relations a major ehange has been the expansión of Soviet diplomatic leverage in Africa. Through petro-power Afro_Asiani~m has been strengthened via the Arab 'COnnection. Afro-Latinism as a form of solida:rity be.tween Africa l<lnd Latin America has been strengthened mainly through the Cuban eonnection. What is also cIear i5 that relations between the world of socia- 1ism and the world of underdevelopment entered a new phase when the Soviet Union began to feel confident enough to tiIt the balance in Angola and Ethiopia. Castw's Cuba and AfrÍca's castration created new inter-relationships at the ,leyels of both vertical and micro– dependency. Once admitted into Third World fellowship, the Latin Americans generaliy have been among the leaders in intellectu;al and ideological 85