After the September 11 terrorist attacks, American foreign policy shifted from Latin America to the Middle East. This new focus has meant that crucial issues in Latin America have been ignored, such as the Cuban embargo. US economic sanctions against Cuba have resulted in a worsening of the quality of life. Cubans do not have access to basic goods and services. Furthermore, the embargo has diminished the ability of the United States to exert its influence in the region. China has filled the power vacuum left by the United States. Latin America offers China a new and relatively unexplored market. China needs resources from Latin America – such as oil – to maintain its growth. The United States should end the economic embargo against Cuba to regain its hemispheric influence in Latin America. The abrupt shift from Cold War democratization to post-9/11 isolation led to the lowest point ever in U.S.-Latin American relations. Between 1989 and 1995, relations between the United States reached their peak; the Brady debt relief proposal provided relief to Latin American countries; the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed; the United States was the undisputed power of the hemisphere (Hakim 39). Relations began to deteriorate in 1996, when Congress added further restrictions to the embargo in the Helms-Burton Act. President Clinton subsequently expanded the embargo to prevent foreign subsidiaries of American companies from trading with Cuba (Siegelbaum). After 9/11, American attention shifted away from Latin America. This moment was inevitable after the culmination of Washington's leadership failures; both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were unwilling to stand up to powerful national voters (Hakim 39-40). As the United States began to wage its war on terrorism… middle of paper… pera Mundi. Opera Mundi, 29 May 2013. Web. 11 December 2013. < http://operamundi.uol.com.br/conteudo/opiniao/29149/ong+britanica+e+vitima+das+sancoes+economicas+dos+estados+ unidos+contra+cuba.shtml> .NBC News from the world. "The agreements on the Cuba issue affect the stature of the United States at the 'Summit of the Americas'." NBC, April 15, 2012. Web. December 11, 2013. Perez, David. “The Way Forward: A Policy Recommendation for the U.S. Department of State.” Harvard Latino Law Review 13 (2010): 187. Web. December 9, 2013. Roosevelt, Theodore. “Theodore Roosevelt's Annual Message to Congress for 1904”; Home Records HR 58A-K2; Documents of the United States House of Representatives; Recording Group 233; Center for Legislative Archives; National ArchivesSiegelbaum, Portia. “Cuba: US embargo causes losses of 1,000 billion dollars”. CBS News, Sept. 14, 2011. Web. Dec. 9, 2013./>.