and here is the article I wrote for EntreMundos about the effects of US policy on Guatemala:
A gringa friend of mine volunteering in Pachaj, Cantel, was cursed out the other day by an elderly man shouting in broken English “Yankee! Go home! Gringo! Green go!”. Why such animosity toward a twenty year old American girl? She hadn’t done anything to provoke him. After the shock of the moment, she understood that the man was angered by what her skin color represents. While tourists and travelers propagate an image of the country they’re from, the widespread opinion of Guatemalans about Americans stems largely from the effects the United States has over Guatemala. In today’s world, these are carried out through foreign policy and globalization.
Our planet is interconnected and increasingly globalized due to technologies, multinational firms and many international free trade agreements. As a political, military, economical and socio-cultural superpower, the US is a key player in world politics and diplomacy and has incredible influence over the fluctuations of the world economy. Therefore, its policies and political decisions affect everyone in some way and have significant effects over small developing countries like Guatemala. To be sure, globalization and the US provide a lot of good things and are not solely responsible for Guatemala’s woes. But historically, US involvement in the region has had devastating effects over the people of Central America and current policies have contributed to the widening inequality gap.
In the early 1900s, the US controlled Guatemalan land through the United Fruits Company and created Banana Republics throughout most of Central America, exploiting thousands of people and denying their land and labor rights to provide for the growing consumerism culture in the United States; in the mid to late 20th century the US sponsored military dictatorships in the region, trained and financed counter-insurgency paramilitaries through the School of the Americas, and contributed to the murder of hundreds of thousands of people under the pretext of “maintaining political stability” to contain a “communist threat” so close to the American nation. Today, the US still supports human rights violating governments throughout the world, such as Pakistan, for its geopolitical and economic interests.
In his State of the Union Address in January, Obama promised to put more emphasis on Central and Latin American policy and started the process in March by traveling to El Salvador. While his plans towards the region are still unclear, several critical points need to be addressed in order for the US to improve its relationship with Central American countries and be an actor for positive change in the region: mainly, DR-CAFTA, foreign assistance, and immigration policy.
CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement), signed in 2006, has failed to provide the benefits it promised Guatemala. Poverty rates in rural areas still surpass 70% and imports of US corn, rice, and other commodities have increased, to the detriment of Guatemalan agricultural exports. CAFTA has also facilitated investment in megaprojects such as open-pit mines and dams, which are environmentally devastating and widely opposed by local populations, but doesn’t have adequate monitoring to ensure implementation rules are respected. Consequently, the Guatemalan government and foreign companies disrespect popular consultation that is a United Nations (UN) and International Labor Organization (ILO) guaranteed indigenous right. Moreover intellectual property rights under CAFTA directly impede on people’s right to health care as it extends US medicine patents for 20 years in CAFTA signatories. The controversial free trade agreement also allows investors to sue governments to obtain compensation for measures like environmental and labor protection regulations, which they claim diminish their investments’ value. CAFTA should be reformed to help the developing countries share the benefits with the US by allowing the countries to pass regulations to protect their farmers from subsidized US agricultural imports and ensure livelihood security and rural development; effectively enforce labor and land rights; and safeguard the sovereignty of nations over their natural resources to accomplish a just sustainable development.
Another significant mainstay of US foreign policy toward Guatemala is assistance. As the Obama Administration seeks to reduce the deficit without raising taxes or reducing defense spending, foreign assistance programs are at stake. According to the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), assistance to Central America will drop by 12% from 2009 levels while maintaining economic development aid and increasing aid for health programs. Of the pledged $200 million in new aid for 2012, $100 million will go to the Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI), Obama’s framework for law enforcement, security and administration-of-justice aid to mainly combat drug trafficking and organized crime. However, the government and judicial branch are imbued with corruption due to the infiltration of narco and organized crime entities within the governing structure and system. Thus, it is uncertain how much of the financial aid would actually attain its intended destination and how much would contribute to the continuation of the cycle of impunity and injustice. While the CARSI seems like it could help Guatemala reach more security and stability, giving direct aid to the police and military without adequate regulations and human rights conditions could result in abuse and further the already widespread fear of armed authorities.
Reforming its assistance structure and public policy toward Guatemala could help the US build a more human rights focused foreign policy toward the region. Considering its involvement in the 36-year civil war, the US has an obligation to support efforts to bring executors of mass atrocities to justice. By supporting the CICIG (International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala) and human rights defenders, pressuring and influencing the Guatemalan government to combat violence against women and prosecute police and military officials who commit abuses, Obama’s administration could reverse the historical trend of a US policy toward Latin America that neglects human rights.
US-Guatemala relations are established not only through official agreements and policies, but also through the socio-cultural impact of globalization. The consumerism culture and spread of telecommunication media has generated the growth of westernization here: McDonald’s have popped up all over cities, most indigenous men and young people have stopped wearing the traditional costume, breaking up families and accentuating discrimination. The popularization of western culture has also contributed to the immigration wave, and thus affected the two countries’ relationship.
Immigration reform is one the most controversial issues being debated in the US. So far the US has decided to reinforce its borders and harshen consequences for deterrence purposes. People immigrate in search of better prospects up North to have a job and make money. Why is that lacking here? Because most of the land is owned by the few, people are exploited, there is modern slavery, Foreign Direct Investment is more important than people, corruption permeates everything, subsistence farmers can’t survive because of subsidized crops from the US ruling the market, and environmental effects and privatization of water ruin livelihoods. Only a comprehensive policy that tries to fix the causes of the problem will be effective.
The American President’s current discourse favors business and innovation and his 2011 budget maintains high levels of military spending to gain a successful bipartisan leadership. Let’s hope this won’t keep him from seeing the negative consequences of the current system and pursue a not just free but also fair trade, not only a reformed policy but also a moral one.
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