The reality that the current and future American administrations must come to grips with is that Central and South Americans no longer want to be part of American Manifest Destiny. For over a hundred years, and longer in some countries, the United States has held undue influence over the internal matters of the sovereign nations of the countries to the South of them.
It's time for the United States to stop forcing countries to put the interests of the United States ahead of their own. If they want to win friends and influence people they should remember what they did in Europe after World War II and create a type of Marshall Plan to assist the nations of South America to develop their own economies that offer jobs and health care to their employees.
Or at least give them the opportunity to do so without raising insurmountable barriers in front of them in the form of embargoes and sanctions. America is looked upon by the poor and the downtrodden of these countries as the enemy because they see them as the friend of the people who have kept them in poverty and ignorance for a hundred years or more. If these people choose to vote for a party that promises an end to that, can you blame them?
Communism is not about to take over the world any time soon, if it ever was, so don't you think it's time to stop worrying about "The Red Menace"? Learn how to live in peaceful co-existence with your neighbours and you might be pleasantly surprised at the results. South and Central America are never going to go back to being the personal fiefdoms of the United States and its business community. One way or another they are going to be more and more resistant to that idea.
This doesn't have to a confrontational situation though, but the choice is yours. Use the election of Daniel Ortega and the Sandinistas in Nicaragua as a first step in that new direction. You never know, you could find friends in the most unlikely of places.
Article comments
1 - Howard Dratch
Nicaragua suffered under the Contra violence that we (Reagan/Bush-Republican "we") supported so hard.
The decisions to be made by Latin America and Latin Americans are not easy ones and the present US government has made itself again unable to provide a model of freedom and self-determination that could have led the region out of poverty and the horrors that accompany the kind of distribution of wealth that America supported for so long.
The future of the whole region is certainly in doubt and, it would seem, the Bush Administration has pushed hard to make our southern neighbors more unstable, more anti-American, more prone to accept any solution that is not "American".
Perhaps today's US elections will rob the Bush forces of some of their power to destabilize the hemisphere as they have been trying so hard to do.
2 - RedTard
Another hate america circle jerk. Run of the mill bullshit from the left these days. How quickly they forget the scores of millions of people they slaughtered for their failed ideology. Perhaps we didn't want Nicaragua to end up like Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge.
3 - Zedd
RedTard, are you joking???? You must be...
It’s also come out that Ortega has actually had a religious conversion which has tampered his politics. His former friends on the left have expressed a great deal of disappointment in him because he is espousing some ideals that they think are a departure from their original goals.
4 - Bliffle
Ortega is back?! Oh hell, there goes my beachfront resort condo in Nicaragua!
5 - Angela Chen Shui
Thank you, Richard.
One of my best friends from way back helped to build those schools you spoke of and helped to teach new agricultural methods.
He was also there when Nicaraguan villages came under attack.
The entire Central and Latin American region will move forward... with or without enlightened US backing. There are many forces worldwide that would love to wreak havoc in this US backyard...
I pray, fervently, it doesn't come to that.
Thanks again. Your piece brings back fond memories...
Angela.