While the Democratic platform calls for “greater freedom” in Cuba and Venezuela, it provides few details.

U.S. fears about Venezuela and Cuba aren’t necessarily shared in the region. The United States staunchest ally in Latin America, Colombia, has publically praised both nations for shepherding peace talks with the FARC. And Cuba has been welcomed into multilateral bodies, such as the Alba and CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

Drugs

Both parties’ platforms highlight the need to fight drug cartels abroad, but don’t mention U.S. consumption. And they don’t address growing accusations in Latin America that Washington’s drug war has failed and is driving record violence in the region.

“The United States should be providing an energetic and proactive answer to those complaints,” said Bruce Bagley, a professor of international relations at the University of Miami.

But tackling the issue would mean taking on the powerful gun lobby and broaching the subject of treatment programs, or even legalization — both political kryptonite during an election year, wrote Ted Piccone, a senior fellow and deputy director at Brookings.

Latin America is torn by “violent crime, drug trafficking, and guns,” he wrote in Foreign Policy. “The United States is a responsible party on all these issues. We buy the cocaine, methamphetamines, and marijuana that flow across our borders, and we sell the weapons that fuel the traffickers’ gruesome attacks.”

Trade

The one issue both sides agree on is the need for more trade with Latin America to pull the United States out of its economic doldrums. The Obama administration can take credit for passing free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama last year, and has been pushing U.S. exports to the region.

But Romney says Obama should have done even more.

“The opportunities for us in Latin America we have just not taken advantage of fully,” Romney said during Monday’s debate. “As a matter of fact, Latin America’s economy is almost as big as the economy of China. We’re all focused on China. Latin America is a huge opportunity for us.”

Colombian Finance Minister Mauricio Cardenas praised Romney for repeatedly pointing out the potential of North-South trade. But he also thanked the Obama administration for its support in Colombia’s bid to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD.

The hemisphere’s powerhouse Brazil — the world’s eighth-largest economy, just ahead of the United Kingdom — was never mentioned in Monday’s debate and isn’t mentioned at all in the GOP platform. The DNC platform praises the country’s vibrant democracy and concedes its growing importance, but offers few details about engagement.

In many ways, the fact that Washington isn’t focused on Latin America is a sign that the region has progressed, said Bagley. It’s no longer considered the war-torn narco-haven of the 1980s that threatened the hemisphere.

“From the point of view in Washington, the world is a dangerous place,” he said, “but Latin America isn’t.”

But the spotlight is likely to return once the race is over, said Susan Purcell, the director for UM’s Center of Hemispheric Policy.

“Everybody says they’re going to focus on domestic issues but they can’t withdraw from the world,” she said. “Either Obama or Romney are going to be spending a lot of time on foreign policy.”