U.S. Policy Toward the Americas in 2010 and Beyond
On March 10th, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere held a hearing on "U.S. Policy Toward the Americas in 2010 and Beyond." Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Arturo Valenzuela testified before the House committee in the first panel and provided a look into the focus of U.S. policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean in the coming year. The hearing came on the heels of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's six-nation trip to Latin America, to which Assistant Secretary Valenzuela referred multiple times during his testimony. In his written testimony, Assistant Secretary Valenzuela that the United States' partnership with the region will be focused on
three priorities critical to people in every country of this region: promoting social and economic opportunity for everyone; ensuring the safety of all of our citizens; and strengthening effective institutions of democratic governance, respect for human rights, and accountability.
However, the topics that received the most attention during the question and answer portion of the hearing were Venezuela's links to the FARC, Iran's influence in the region, the future of the Organization of American States (OAS), and the decline in U.S. assistance to Colombia and Mexico. Below are excerpts from the first panel's Q&A portion. The webcast of the hearing is available here. U.S. assistance to the region Assistant Secretary Valenzuela: "We need to make very, very clear, and I want to make this a very important point in my testimony. I want to make very, very clear that when we go at work with other countries to assist them, we also expect to have co-responsibility. This means that they also need to reform some of their institutions. It means, for example, in the case of Central America it has to be willing to tax their own societies more than they have. In the case of Guatemala, for example, with less than 12% of GDP is represented by taxes. That simply is not sustainable in terms of the infrastructure and development kinds of investments that Guatemala has to do. So yes, let's coordinate better with our partners, but let's also have better partnerships in the countries that we're working with." Venezuela and the FARC Exchange between Rep. Mack and Assistant Secretary Valenzuela Rep. Connie Mack (R-FL): "I want to touch on Venezuela really quick. Do you agree that the FARC is a terrorist organization?" Assistant Secretary Valenzuela: "The FARC is a terrorist organization." Rep. Mack: "And do you believe that Venezuela and Hugo Chávez have assisted, or in any way worked with, the FARC or supported the FARC?" Assistant Secretary Valenzuela: "There is some indication that there has been some assistance.... And we are concerned about the FARC and the various kinds of support they have been getting from different kinds of organizations. And we can talk about that, though I prefer to talk about that in closed session rather than in an open session. But it is something that we are very concerned about, extremely concerned about. And you know there has been news where the FARC has been linked to other organizations." Iran Assistant Secretary Valenzuela: "We're certainly concerned about Iran's intents in Latin America. We are very concerned about the fact that Iran may be trying to establish networks in Latin America." Assistant Secretary Valenzuela: "For the record, we are extremely concerned about Iran's intents in Latin America. Its attempt is not commercial, like perhaps China's is. I think it is openly political and its reaching out to countries like Venezuela or Ecuador are of significant concern for us and we are tracking it as closely as we can. It is something we take very seriously." Exchange between Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Assistant Secretary Assistant Secretary Valenzuela Rep. Engel: "I want to mention Iran, ... , and its clear to all of us that Hugo Chávez is facilitating Iranian influence in this hemisphere. But I must say, I was very disappointed recently when President Ahmadinejad of Iran came to South America. I would expect him to speak in Venezuela and Bolivia, I was very disappointed that he was welcomed with open arms by President Lula in Brazil.... He welcomed Ahmadinejad with open arms after the disputed election that was stolen. I know that Brazil wants to be a player on the world scene and maybe get a permanent seat on the Security Council, but this is a heck of a way to do it." Assistant Secretary Valenzuela: "Iran is a very, very serious problem. In my earlier testimony I underscored how serious we see their influence in the region. Let me say this was, of course, a major item on the agenda of the Secretary's trip. She raised this issue with both President Fernández de Kirchner, ... the United States' kind of gratitude and pleasure that they agree with us on this ... and at the same time very forcefully in Brasilia to Foreign Minister Amorim and President Lula.... We agree on this." Honduras Exchange between Rep. Mack and Assistant Secretary Valenzuela Rep. Mack: "... Someone could get the impression that on the one hand, you have a country like Honduras who stood up to the rule of law ... and, on the one hand, if we respond to the situation in Honduras as a coup, ... and then look like we are supporting the actions of lets say Bolivia or Cuba - it sends a mixed message. Honduras did everything by their constitution, and for anyone to call it a coup, it's irresponsible and misguided." Assistant Secretary Valenzuela: "I'll agree with you 95% on this.... The 5% disagreement, Congressman, I'm afraid that what happened in Honduras, in my estimation and in our estimation, and we voted in the OAS and I think it was the unanimous opinion of all countries really in the world - I can't think of a country that did not judge the expulsion by force of President Manuel Zelaya as an interruption of the constitutional order. Why? For a very simple reason, because he was not given the most elementary due process of law." Rep. Mack: "Then I suggest then Honduras and the government of Honduras is the most courageous on the planet, because they stood up against ... all, or most, and said that the rule of law, our constitution, our freedom and democracy is more important than the pressure that is going to come from the United States or other countries.... You would have thought that the Honduran people and the government would have been very angry, but instead they were in disbelief. They couldn't believe that their friend and their ally in the United States - when we always trumpet ... the quality of public institutions and the rule of law. That here you have a country that did nothing but defend its constitution and honor its constitution and the rule of law, then we turn around and call it a coup.... It was the government institutions that did the right thing to remove Zelaya and the military never took over in that country...." Assistant Secretary Valenzuela: "What I want to do is agree with you. What I want to agree with you is moving forward. ... It is time for Honduras to be brought back into the international community." Rep. Mack: "Part of looking forward is looking at the past and have a clear picture of the past." Free Trade Agreements Assistant Secretary Valenzuela: "... The free trade agreements with Panama and Colombia - yes - we are supportive of that. Both Panama and Colombia have done what they needed to do in order to get these, in my estimation. It is the matter of the President. Of course, in the State of the Union said he wanted to have these done. We stand to work with the USTR and also with members of Congress ... But this is something that I think we really ought to do." Colombia Assistant Secretary Valenzuela: "... We've continued to work with the Colombian authorities over the years to help them face these extraordinary challenges, which in some ways are also partly our responsibility too because of the fact that so much of the cocaine produced in Colombia does wind up in the United States. We continue to be committed to working with Colombia... If there is a decline in some of the assistance to Colombia, it is not because we ... are not concerned, or because we are walking away from our partnership in Colombia... If there is a decline in our assistance ... it is precisely because our efforts with Colombia have been successful and because we have been able to move to a separate level in terms of our concerns and our assistance in Colombia... The security situation is so much better in Colombia now. This is the chance for us to to move away from some of the investment on the security side to investments in other areas that ... both the Colombian government and the United States agree are very important. And that has to do with sustainable development, it has to do with addressing some of the economic problems, it has to do with alternative development. Alternative development efforts are very important.... These may not be as expensive. But we are committed, ... - even with a lower budget - because we are spending it in different areas, that we will be effective moving forward in our assistance and our work in Colombia." China's influence in the region Assistant Secretary Valenzuela: "Much of the work that China is doing in Latin America, unlike the reference I made earlier to Iran or perhaps some of the efforts that Russia may have - those are driven more by a perhaps political calculation - China is driven more by economic calculation." U.S.-Bolivia bilateral talks Assistant Secretary Valenzuela: "On Bolivia, I should confess it is slow. We continue to try to work with them on this framework agreement.... It is slow in coming.... It hasn't been easy to engage, and of course we are concerned about their lack of cooperation, for example on such an important issues as counternarcotics cooperation.... But we are continuing to work on it." Mexico Rep. Engel: "As you know, I have a bill, which has passed the House, which would set up a commission to look at drug policy in the region, in the Western Hemisphere. And I have long believed we must address the consumption side, as well as the supply side.... I've been a very strong supporter of Merida, but I noticed that in the proposed budget Mérida funds have been cut. Could you talk ... about Mexico and what our progress has been there? " Assistant Secretary Valenzuela: "Mexico is of the highest priority, there is no question about it. If you pushed me on where I would put things, I would put it very much at the top. This is a fundamental interest to the United States ... there is no question about that. And Mexico is taking on some significant challenges.... Reduction in some of the expenditures for Mérida, ... , means ... now we can recalibrate some of the assistance. The earlier assistance went to some of the really expensive items that you have to use, expensive equipment, for combatting the drug trafficking directly.... Now we are actually putting funding in some of the areas that are equally important.... That would include working very closely with what the Mexican government has determined to be its fundamental priority in this... What is needed is the strengthening the institutions of the state, particularly local government and law enforcement operations...." Assistant Secretary Valenzuela: "The violence that you are referring to in some ways is sometimes the inevitable result of the some of the success. Because as you bring down certain kinds of criminal organizations, you encourage a certain degree of conflict between them. But we are there for the long haul, because this is such a fundamental interest of the United States, to make sure to get this right." OAS Rep. Engel: "There was a recent summit in Cancun. Heads of state in Latin America and the Caribbean agreed to form a new organization ... that includes every country in the hemisphere with the exception of the United States and Canada. ... What does the exclusion of the U.S. and Canada from this new organization say about the current state of hemispheric affairs and are you concerned that [this organization] will replace the OAS?" Assistant Secretary Valenzuela: "... In principle it is not a problem for the United States if these countries set up mechanisms in order to dialogue with one another, to create better understanding, to perhaps build mutual confidence..., or opening markets and that kind of thing, we encourage that, we are open to that. The question that I raise is will this be an effective organization? ... It certainly would not replace the Organization of American States, and it is our assumption, except for maybe one or two voices out there that have said something like that, that all of the countries in the Western Hemisphere are committed to the Organization of American States as their fundamental regional institution.... I see a strong commitment and this was reiterated on this trip that we took to Central America, where we met with all the presidents, to not only value the Organization of American States, but to look for ways to actually strengthen the Organization of American States." Rep. Mack: "There might be one thing that myself and Hugo Chávez agree on, and that is that the OAS is ineffective. And the OAS has been a deterrent to freedom, security, and prosperity in Latin America. And I think that one of the things that the United States must do is also lead in the hemisphere on principle. And when you have an organization like the OAS, who the leadership of the OAS conducts themselves in a way that seems to be more supportive of governments and ideas that are in the process of destroying democracy, I don't know how we can align ourselves with that kind of leadership...." Caribbean Assistant Secretary Valenzuela: "On the Caribbean, I reiterate how much this is going to be a priority of this administration. The Secretary is very committed to that. ... There is a special bond that is there that we need to, as we look forward, cultivate more...."