A Bad Week for the
By
http://www.fpif.org/blog/a_bad_week_for_the_monroe_doctrine
It is hard to find words that quite describe
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's performance at the
June 7 meeting of the Organization of American States
(OAS) in
mind, but leavened with a goodly dash of arrogance and
historical amnesia.
forward and welcome
American community," urged the OAS to step up the fight
against drug trafficking, and scolded the organization
for a "proliferation of priorities and mandates that
dilute its efforts, drain its budget, and diminish its
capacity." She added that the OAS should "refocus" on
such tasks as monitoring elections.
Where does one begin? Well,
While
the coup against Manuel Zelaya "free and fair," it was
boycotted by 51 percent of the population. The
been silent about the fact that the new president,
Porfirio Lobo, has overseen a reign of terror that,
since the June 28, 2009 coup, has seen the
assassination of some 130 anti-government activists,
including seven journalists. The murders bear a close
resemblance to death squad assassinations carried out
under military dictator Policarpo Paz Garcia in the
late `70s and early `80s. Reporters Without Borders
recently designated
country for the media."
"We are living in a state of terror," says human rights
activist Dr. Juan Almendares, a former director of
research projects at Harvard and the University of
in
meeting that the
American order at risk," and that "My government cannot
recognize the new government in
are violations against human rights."
In the old days, the
opposition, but now-a-days supporting the Colossus of
the North can be a lonely business. Only a handful of
countries, including
Republic, Panama, Peru, and
instating
Tone deaf was all you could call
stepping up the war on drugs. A few months ago the 17-
member Latin American Commission on Drugs and
Democracy, chaired by three former heads of state,
concluded "The U.S.-style anti-drug strategy was
putting the region's fragile democratic institutions at
risk, and corrupting the judiciary system, government,
the political system, and especially the police force."
Former Brazilian president and Commission member
Fernando Cardoso said, "The war on drugs is a failed
war. We have to move from this approach to another."
Several Latin American countries, including
Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, and
legalize personal drug possession, and other countries
in the region are considering how to move from
punishment to treatment.
And what did
of priorities"? There was no question as to how OAS
members read it: "Keep your nose out of the Middle
East," not an instruction likely to be followed.
and
issue peacefully has drawn widespread applause
throughout the continent, and a number of Latin
American countries have become increasingly critical of
and
on the recent
lifting the blockade of
support sanctions against
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