The flourish exhibited by the Latin Americans on the soccer pitch during the World Cup may be a harbinger of a larger shift, as there are instances of political and economic changes that bode well for the New World.

Spain struck a blow for the Old World, and restored a semblance of soccer reality, when it beat Honduras 2-0 on June 21. But off the field, Spain’s limited influence over its former colonies was on display at a summit meeting with Latin American nations in mid-May. With its soaring unemployment and banking crisis, the former master appears weak.

“The timing of this summit, just after Spain got told by the U.S. and Europe to take tougher measures to sort out its economy, could not have been more difficult, because to show leadership, you have to be in a position of strength,” Javier Pastor, a professor of politics at UNED, a Madrid-based university, told The Times.

“I think this is a tough blow for Zapatero because he really hoped to show Spain at its best here,” he added, referring to Spain’s prime minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

Has “Old Europe,” as the Bushera Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld derisively referred to the Continent in the early days of the Iraq war, been bypassed by upstart powers? Could the future, a better life, lie to the South?

It seemed as if Old Europe, particularly Germany and France, were diplomatically outmaneuvered by Brazil and Turkey when the two emerging powers announced a deal in mid-May where Iran would ship half its nuclear fuel to Turkey. The deal has since been criticized as insufficient to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon and a new round of sanctions has been agreed to by the United Nations .

“The fact that Brazil and Turkey ventured into a subject that would be typically handled by the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany), and, more importantly, were successful in doing so - disturbed the status quo, ” Celso Amorim, Brazil’s foreign minister, wrote in The International Herald Tribune.

The status quo in Latin America has been upended to the point where a city once synonymous with drug violence is now seen as a desirable place for retirees. Rich Holman, an American, retired to Medellin, Colombia, three years ago. “It has the best climate, nicest people, low prices, real estate bargains, great health care,” Mr. Holman, now 66, told The I.H.T.

Lee Harrison, an American who retired to Ecuador several years ago and then moved in 2006 to Uruguay, told The I.H.T. that many places were still a relatively good bargain by American and European standards. Mr. Harrison purchased a nice home three blocks from the beach in Punta del Este for $160,000.

“If I had to pick a favorite spot today, with the broadest appeal and lowest cost of living, I think I’d go with Ecuador,” he told The I.H.T. “For a reasonable cost of living and the highest standard of living, I like Uruguay and Chile.”

And the local football clubs can provide the sports entertainment.


TOM BRADY