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eridani

(51,907 posts)
Sat Apr 21, 2012, 10:10 PM Apr 2012

Western hemisphere countries increasingly organizing independently of the US

http://www.readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/11055-the-real-scandals-of-obamas-latin-america-summit

Responding to overall US intransigence, other western hemisphere countries are organizing themselves. Greg Grandin, professor of Latin American history at New York University, told me:

"Latin Americans themselves are creating these bodies that are excluding the United States, that are deepening integration, political and economic integration. This seems to be a venue in which they come together in order to criticize Washington, quite effectively."

Grandin compared Obama's Latin America policies to those of his predecessors:

"The two main pillars of US foreign policy – increasing neoliberalism and increasing militarism around drugs – continue. They feed off of each other and have created a crisis in that corridor, running from Colombia through Central America to Mexico. That's been a complete disaster, and there's no change."

It will take more than a prostitution scandal to cover that up.
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Western hemisphere countries increasingly organizing independently of the US (Original Post) eridani Apr 2012 OP
"Lead, follow, or get out of the way." bemildred Apr 2012 #1
Good to see the author reminds us of Obama's pre-election position on the FTA with Colombia. Judi Lynn Apr 2012 #2

Judi Lynn

(160,545 posts)
2. Good to see the author reminds us of Obama's pre-election position on the FTA with Colombia.
Sun Apr 22, 2012, 01:38 PM
Apr 2012

The promise he made then made him sound like a progressive. From the article:

When Obama was first running for president, he promised to oppose the Colombia FTA, "because the violence against unions in Colombia would make a mockery of the very labor protections that we have insisted be included in these kinds of agreements." That year, 54 Colombian trade unionists were killed. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said the announcement "is deeply disappointing and troubling". Republicans, on the other hand, are offering grudging praise to Obama for pushing the FTA.

Thanks, eridani.
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