Friday, March 23, 2018

How John Bolton Sees Latin America

I feel obliged to comment on Donald Trump naming John Bolton as National Security Advisor. My main feeling is frustration and resignation to counterproductive policies. His every fiber wants to use force as much as possible in Latin America (and, really, elsewhere as well).

Here is where he as come up on my blog before:

--Heraldo Muñoz criticized him in 2008 for failing to understand Chile's position vis-a-vis the Iraq invasion.

--in 2006 I noted how he must be loving Venezuela's inability to take the rotating seat on the UN Security Council.

--also in 2006 I criticized him for wanting to punish countries that did not give ICC waivers to the United States.

What does he think of Latin America now? Easy enough: just read what he wrote himself in January. I will just give you the highlights. Or lowlights, if that is such a thing.

--Obama unfroze relations with Cuba because of ideology (meaning socialism, I guess, who knows).

--the Monroe Doctrine is a good thing and Obama should have kept it alive.

--Obama ignored all threats in Latin America, like Middle Eastern terrorists and Chinese investment.

--he cannot spell Colombia. Yes, he uses Columbia.

John Bolton is a hawk among hawks. He joins a Secretary of State who is hawkier than hawky hawks. Unless a miracle intercedes, in Latin America we will see more use of force, more belligerent statements, more Latin American moves to embrace China and Europe, and approval of the U.S. government will drop to somewhere around James Polk levels.

Unintended but foreseeable and avoidable consequences, here we come.

3 comments:

Quico 11:26 AM  

"John Bolton is a hawk among hawks. He joins a Secretary of State who is hawkier than hawky hawks. Unless a miracle intercedes, in Latin America we will see more use of force..."

Sorry but that's a mammoth non-sequitur...Bolton and Pompeo are much more interested in Iran and North Korea. They're much, much more likely to pursue wars in those theaters. But even the U.S. military can't pursue three wars in three theaters at once. To the extent that these lunatics start wars in other regions, the chances of starting wars in our region falls.

Greg Weeks 11:27 AM  

"use of force" is not the same as "war."

Greg Weeks 11:29 AM  

I could say "coercion" but I would also not rule out covert operations of some sort.

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