topic by
real watcher
5/19/2002 (11:02) |
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Looks like it is not only Palestinians and Moslems that have a problem with the imperialist foreign policy of the US.
Economic Crisis Spurs Anger
Latin America's Resentment Feeds Anti-U.S. Sentiments
By Anthony Faiola
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, May 19, 2002; Page A20
BUENOS AIRES -- In the 1990s, the
Argentine economy ignited under
U.S.-backed free-market reforms and
'American chic' became cool in this pulsing
metropolis. As substantial foreign investment
reversed decades of strained relations between
Buenos Aires and Washington, nightclubs
painted their dance floors in the Stars and
Stripes. English words such as 'shopping'
and 'fashion' became part of the local
lexicon. Movie theaters adopted the alien
custom of selling popcorn to please
customers desperate to do things the
American way.
But as Latin America's third-largest economy
suffers its worst collapse since the Great
Depression, anti-American sentiment is on the
rise. Banks, McDonald's restaurants and other
American symbols have been attacked in
Buenos Aires. Argentine newsmagazines and
politicians are even alleging a U.S. plot to
destroy the economy.
Diplomats, politicians and others blame
Washington's refusal to bail out what was
once its closest ally in the region, plus a series
of foreign policy decisions and perceived
gaffes that have angered not just Argentina,
but many other Latin American countries as
well.
'We are seeing a growing nationalism [in the
region] as a logical reaction to the Republican
administration in the United States that has
essentially snubbed Latin America,' Jorge
Yoma, a senator from Argentina's governing
Peronist party, told reporters recently. 'And
this return of the big stick policy is regenerating anti-Americanism.'
Analysts say the outcry, which follows criticism from Europe and elsewhere about the United States
going it alone on global warming and other issues, is hurting Washington's influence in the region
just as Latin America is confronting some of its worst political and economic turmoil since the end
of the Cold War. It is also eroding support for a Free Trade Area of the Americas from the Arctic
Circle to Tierra del Fuego, a proposal President Bush made after proclaiming Latin America a top
priority when he took office.
'In decision after decision, you see the [Bush] administration losing clout on the important issues
in Latin America,' said Michael Shifter, vice president for policy at the Washington-based
Inter-American Dialogue research organization. 'The kind of framework the U.S. has provided for
Latin America on free trade and democracy seems to be unraveling. It takes away the incentive in
Latin America to follow what Washington has said it believes is the path to prosperity.'
Anti-American sentiment often percolates just below the surface in Latin America, a region with bad
memories of U.S. intervention in its nations' domestic affairs. Some analysts and political leaders
say this outbreak is a symptom of broader discontent, as millions of Latin Americans have seen
their quality of life deteriorate over the past several years. In several countries, including Argentina,
the promised prosperity from the adoption of U.S.-backed economic reforms has disappeared. In
countries such as Bolivia and Peru, it never arrived.
But analysts also point to the Bush administration's handling of Latin American issues. The region
appears to have fallen off Washington's radar screen since Sept. 11. When it does appear, critics
say the Bush administration adopts an old-style, 'big-stick' approach, fanning old flames of
distrust through inconsistent decisions on key issues such as democracy and free trade.
Latin Americans are upset about increases in U.S. farm subsidies, which will likely reduce
agricultural exports from the region, and about tariffs on imported steel, a major export for Brazil
and Argentina. The moves particularly angered Brazil, where relations with the United States are a
major issue in this year's presidential campaign. Luiz Inacio 'Lula' da Silva, the left-wing Labor
Party candidate who has a strong lead in opinion polls, has tapped into the frustrations of millions
of Brazilians who increasingly view free trade and globalization as working only in favor of rich,
industrialized countries.
In major cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, those feelings have spilled over into
anti-American acts. A homemade bomb recently caused minor damage at a McDonald's restaurant
in Rio, while some Brazilian youths have taken to unfurling Osama bin Laden posters at soccer
games. The Brazilian Congress has given preliminary approval to a law that would forbid stores,
television stations and newspapers from using English in advertisements. Proponents argue that the
Portuguese-speaking country of 170 million is being unfairly subjected to English words such as
'shopping center' and 'sale.'
'Today, we know that Bush attempts to resolve problems by generating war, and that is harmful for
humanity,' da Silva told foreign journalists last week. 'Of course, Bush . . . thinks first in the
interests of the American people, and there is nothing wrong with that. I think that Brazil should do
the same and negotiate its interests in a more open and daring way.'
Much of Latin America is feeling ignored or bullied. On May 9, Mexico's president, Vicente Fox,
expressed deep frustration with Washington, saying bilateral relations had 'stalled.' In Colombia,
the U.S.-funded military is finding itself out of the loop and increasingly unable to control a bloody
cycle of civilian massacres and human rights violations. Bolivia is facing civil unrest following a
U.S.-funded plan to eradicate coca, which is used to make cocaine.
And in Venezuela, critics cite the limp U.S. response to a failed military coup last month against
left-leaning President Hugo Chavez, which the Bush administration described as simply 'a change
in government.' Chavez has never been a favorite in Washington, but he was democratically elected.
U.S. officials have denied Chavez's charges that Washington had a hand in the attempted coup, but
many Venezuelans see the fact that the implicated military officers met with U.S. officials in the
months before the uprising as evidence enough. 'Go home Yankees, Your Team Lost!' has been
spray-painted on a wall outside the presidential palace.
Additionally, leaders across the region are chafing at Washington's hard-line approach to bailing
out Argentina, whose economic woes are beginning to take a toll on its neighbors.
The International Monetary Fund, backed by Washington, is making what many Latin American
leaders see as unfair demands in exchange for new loans. Those demands include repealing laws
the IMF perceives as shields for Argentine companies with too much debt. Argentines say that
would allow foreign creditors, particularly Americans, to take over media and farming
conglomerates important to national interests.
A series of perceived gaffes by Bush administration officials has also raised public ire. Secretary of
State Colin L. Powell said in a May 6 speech that Argentina needed to overcome 'institutional
flaws' such as 'corruption' to regain its economic course.
That angered Argentines, who wondered where the tough talk was in the 1990s, when the United
States and IMF gave unyielding support to then-President Carlos Menem -- a personal friend of
President George H.W. Bush but a reviled figure here. Menem stepped down in 1999 amid
allegations of corruption and kickbacks from the sale of state-run industries to foreigners. A survey
by Argentine pollster Ricardo Rouvier found almost six of every 10 people polled considered
Powell's remarks offensive.
In Buenos Aires, many U.S. banks have fortified their branches with steel barriers and hired private
security firms to protect employees from angry mobs. Argentina's two leading newsmagazines,
Noticias and Veintitres, published cover stories on speculations that Washington was conspiring to
worsen Argentina's crisis, hoping to topple the country's fifth president in five months and further
devalue the peso so that U.S. companies could move in and pick off farmlands on the vast, fertile
Pampas.
U.S. interests 'have already taken most of what we have -- and now, they are coming for our lands,'
said Elisa Carrio, a fiery, left-leaning member of Congress and leading candidate to replace
caretaker President Eduardo Duhalde if he were forced to call early elections.
U.S. officials familiar with Latin America reject such notions but concede the Bush administration
has been preoccupied with the war on terrorism. 'Latin America has not been forgotten, nor are we
looking to turn back the clock to an old school mentality,' said one U.S. diplomat. 'We are more
committed than ever to fostering good relations with the region.'
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