An editorial in the
Havana Times has put out a scathing review of
Obama's progress (or lack of) in Latin America. While the President began his term making lofty promises of strengthening US/Latin America relationships, the article,
Inertia on US-Latin American Relations, sites the following shortcomings as direct proof that the
administration has made its southern neighbors a very low priority.
1) Honduras
Obama- and for that matter members of OAS- failed to ensure that ousted President
Zelaya first be reinstated before recognizing the legitimacy of the November presidential elections. Threats were made by the U.S. and member Latin countries, but in the end, the elections came and went without
Zelaya's return to office.
2) Colombian Accord
While none were probably more disgruntled than Venezuela, South American countries stated their disappointment in the announcement that the U.S. and Colombia had reached a ten year agreement to put U.S. military bases on Colombian soil. As one analyst from the Woodrow Wilson International Center said, this had more to do with the "inadequate process of consultation and vetting with regional allies."
3) Cuba
Of greater concern to the author is the slow progress of U.S/Cuban relations. The administration has shown some signs of movement in the right direction
(notably, allowing Cuban Americans to visit their homeland and restoring mail service to Cuba) but cites the continuing embargo as sign a preserved Cold War mentality.
While this blogger agrees progress has been slow, I disagree with the implication that little has changed since the Bush years. The Cold War style politics that
dominated US/Cuban relations for approximately 40 years endured several administrations and Obama has taken a variety of steps in the past year to begin to thaw a strained relationship that remained frozen for decades. Furthermore, Cuba has to take some responsibility for the pace of change in relations between the two countries; Raul Castro is proceeding as cautiously as his U.S. counterpart.
4) The War on Drugs
While the US continues to provide extensive aid to Colombia to fight the war on drugs, aid now also reaches Mexico and the Caribbean in large amounts. However, the author wonders when the focus will shift to also include thorough demand-side reform to help curtail the problem at the source (i.e. the U.S). Meanwhile, death tolls continue to rise in Mexico while the country remains embroiled in violent drug-related crime.
Do you think Obama has done enough in his first year? Or do you, like the Havana Times author, wonder if the administration will continue to disappoint the way previous ones have?
The Google Alert that said Honduras' top military brass (including armed forces commander Gen. Romeo Vasquez Velasquez) were charged with abuse of power seemed really interesting when it arrived in my inbox this morning. The nation's chief prosecutor issued arrest warrants for six top military officials who were involved in removing deposed president Mel Zelaya from power and shuttling him off to Costa Rica.
