Analysis: How the US 'lost' Latin America (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

While the Bush administration has been fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, relations between the United States and the countries of Latin America have become a festering sore - the worst for years.

Virtually anyone paying attention to events in Venezuela and Nicaragua in the north to Peru and Bolivia further south, plus in different ways Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, comes to the same conclusion: there is a wave of profound anti-American feeling stretching from the Texas border to the Antarctic.
***
While Washington's attention turned to al-Qaeda, the Taleban, Iraq and now Iran, in country after county in Latin America voters chose governments of the left, sometimes the implacably "anti-gringo" left, loudly out of sympathy with George Bush's vision of the world, and reflecting a continent with the world's greatest gulf between rich and poor.
***
{Nicaraguan President Violeta Chamorro} said even a slice of the money used to back the anti-communist Contra guerrillas could build a new Nicaragua - but she predicted that if she won the election Washington would declare victory - and then cut off the money supply. She was right.
***
more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4861320.stm

This is apparently the first in a planned series of articles, with a more-or-less 'diary' structure. Toward the end it becomes more arts/entertainment-centered, but there are lots of interesting glimpses in there.

Funny, I didn't read anything about all this in the papers.:(

ON EDIT: link to the program page directly: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/default.stm

Today's program: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/4873676.stm

"Newsnight's Greg Palast will be reporting from Venezuela on the man who is the biggest thorn in George Bush's side - President Hugo Chavez."

[cliss]

1. It's happening. All of Central and South America

have taken a turn 'left'. It's been an amazing thing to watch; as country after country elected populist leaders, and Washington just sat back on its butt and did nothing. The US has typically been heavily invested in certain outcomes of elections; rigging them, heavily financing certain local thugs who favor US corporations, and so on.

I've read articles that explain that Washington has been maniacally preoccupied with the Middle East (Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan) and watching the quagmire mess get worse every day. While they were distracted, these other countries did their own thing.

Do they all have popular leaders? I think Colombia is still "owned" by the U.S. Mexico of course has Vicente Fox. But the rest are

FREE.

[GRLMGC]

7. El Salvador isn't free

Did you know El Salvador has soldiers in Iraq? My mom told me she didn't believe in social justice anymore because so many people died trying to change El Salvador and very little has changed. I still hold out hope

[cliss]

11. Ah...sorry to hear that.

I try to keep up on the news coming from the south, but I wasn't sure about the rest of the countries.

Well, maybe El Salvador is next in line for new leadership. All of these countries have paid with their blood for the freedom they now have.

Let's hope.

[Joanne98]

2. It's a movement that's "On Fire"!

[pbca]

3. It's not just latin America...

There is alot of anti-americanism up here too, all of the leaders during the last election had to be careful to seperate themselves from Bush at the very least, Europe is largely the same (eastern and western) and we won't even talk about the Middle East, Africa or South East Asia. China and India seem fairly indifferent.

[melody]

5. Anti-American?

Why would you depict anti-Bush sentiment as anti-Americanism?

Actually, there are more Bush supporters according to poll numbers in Europe than there are in the US. Bush still has marginal support (similar to his numbers here) in the UK and a lot of respect in Russia, for whatever reason.

[espera17]

9. positive view of americans

virtually every south american/latin american country has favorable views of America and American citizens, they just view the government and Bush unfavorably. I agree, you cannot compare those two things. If Latin and South American people did not view America and American citizens favorably we would not have Hispanic immigration shooting through the roof.

[melody]

12. exactly

Some people just want to hate Americans for their own reasons. They would no matter what. It has no more to do with who we really are than one person's reaction to French people has anything to do with the French. Bigots are bigots.

They may have fancier dress with which to gussy up their current hatreds, but the foundation garments are the same.

[tishaLA]

4. Someone asked Wes Clark about this on CSPAN

last night. He thought our idea of not engaging Central and South America at all--having no foreign policy to speak of--was one of the dumbest things we have done under the chimp. He said we should be at least as helpful to the people of Latin America as Chavez and spreading good will. Insted, we have just turned our back.

[dogman]

10. I found his comments insightful.

Another area of foreign policy neglect and diplomatic failure by bushco. Everyone concentrates on the Middle East while he is aware of the global failures that few others discuss.

[melissinha]

6. It will be interesting to read the rest

As a Latin American, I found this to be quite true, but of course all of the US instigated problems woult be too many to catalog in this series.

I'll tell ya one thing, thank GOD for futebol... It keeps a lot of miserable people happy.

As someone who has lived in Brazil, I know that we should really be worried about the really HORRIBLE image he is giving all americans... it is really worrisome.

[AtomicKitten]

8. By pulling out of the ICC immediately in early 2002

and then tying aid to So. America promising to give the US a free pass if and when they are taken before the ICC, BushCo effectively drove a wedge between the US and So. America. Now the idiot boy-king is seeing what that scorched earth arm-twisting has wrought.

[eppur_se_muova]

13. Thanks, I hadn't heard about that. That's really low.

[sendero]

14. There isn't much money..

.. or potential for money-skimming wars in Latin America. It's no wonder that Bush hasn't time for them.

On the other hand, despite the delusions of many here in the US, the countries of Latin America have every freaking right to elect leftist leaders if that is what the people want. It's called "Democracy" and we used to have it here.

[IndianaGreen]

15. Latin America was never ours to claim!

And neither is Puerto Rico!