U.S. Military Back Into Latin America

Bush has quietly lifted a ban on "training" South American Militaries. South Americans have been VOTING for candidates from the left and from socialist parties. It is there choice to elect who they feel is best for them. How does Bush deal with fair elections when they don't go his way? Send in the military. Who are the people these militaries need to take action against? From USA Today: U.S. will train Latin American militaries Ban lifted to offset trend toward left By Barbara Slavin USA TODAY WASHINGTON — Concern about leftist victories in Latin America has prompted President Bush to quietly grant a waiver that allows the United States to resume training militaries from 11 Latin American and Caribbean countries. The administration hopes the training will forge links with countries in the region and blunt a leftward trend. Daniel Ortega, an adversary of the United States in the region during the 1980s, was elected president in Nicaragua this week. Bolivians chose another leftist, Evo Morales, last year. A military training ban was originally designed to pressure countries into exempting U.S. soldiers from war crimes trials. The 2002 U.S. law bars countries from receiving military aid and training if they refuse to promise immunity from prosecution to U.S. servicemembers who might get hauled before the International Criminal Court. The law allows presidential waivers. The White House lifted the ban on 21 countries, about half in Latin America or the Caribbean, through a presidential memorandum Oct. 2 to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The training is conducted in the USA. A ban on giving countries weapons remains. Commercial arms sales are not affected, said Jose Ruiz, a U.S. Southern Command spokesman. The training ban had resulted in a loss of U.S. influence in the region. The issue gained urgency after a string of leftist candidates came to power in Latin America. On a trip to the region this year, Rice said that the impact of the ban had been “the same as shooting ourselves in the foot.” China stepped into the gap. Ruiz said China “has approached every country in our area of responsibility” and has exchanged senior military officials with Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile and Cuba and provided military aid and training to Jamaica and Venezuela. The ban remains in effect for some countries. Venezuela, whose fiery President Hugo Chávez is a critic of the Bush administration, remains ineligible because it is on a State Department list of countries alleged to have permitted the trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation and forced labor. Chávez is up for re-election in December and leads in the polls. Cuba is also off-limits because of a long-standing U.S. embargo against Fidel Castro's regime. Ruiz said efforts are being made to transfer money this year to begin training foreign officers from eligible countries. There is also a discussion and more information at On Deadline New York University professor Greg Grandin was interviewed on Democracy NOW back on May 11th. This is a great interview for background on Latin American relations with the U.S. going back to the 1980's with Reagan. You can still stream the interview, it starts at about minute 41 of that day's broadcast.