Is Anti-Americanism Impacting the Coffee Market?
According to the latest (2005) report of LatinobarĂ³metro, an annual public opinion survey which measures public opinion in Latin America, Argentina is the Latin American country which has the “least positive” image of the United States. While between 70 and 87 percent of Central Americans, for example, have a “rather good” opinion of the U.S., only 30 percent of Argentines are reported to have a good opinion. Yet, to the outside observer, Argentine sentiment towards things American can be confusing. During the 1990’s, when the Argentine peso was pegged to the dollar, traveling to Miami, New York or other U.S. cities became very fashionable. It is not at all unusual today to hear middle and upper class Argentines boasting about their access to, or their connections in, the U.S. Furthermore, U.S. products have a strong reputation for quality, and the U.S. is in fact Argentina’s second largest trading partner, following Brazil. Nonetheless, the possibility remains that anti-Americanism pl