The U.S. Vowed to Defend Central American Democracy. Autocrats Had Other Plans.
Source: New York Times
The U.S. Vowed to Defend Central American Democracy. Autocrats Had Other Plans.
The Biden administration’s plan to stem migration by building the rule of law in Central America has thus far failed to stop authoritarians or persuade people to stay.
By Anatoly Kurmanaev and Jody García
Sept. 17, 2022
Updated 5:22 p.m. ET
GUATEMALA CITY — Standing in Guatemala’s National Palace last June, Vice President Kamala Harris outlined a sharp break with President Donald J. Trump’s approach to undocumented migration. Instead of building walls and deporting minors, the United States would focus on reducing corruption and impunity in Central America, giving the hundreds of thousands of migrants who leave the region each year a reason to stay.
Supporters of the rule of law would be rewarded with billions of dollars in U.S. investments. Those who subverted it would feel the United States’ wrath.
“If we are to be effective, if we are to be true to our principles, we must root out corruption wherever it exists,” Ms. Harris said, standing next to Guatemala’s president, Alejandro Giammattei. “That is one of our highest priorities.”
But a year later, Central America has emerged as one of the Biden administration’s biggest foreign policy setbacks. Many nations have slid deeper into authoritarianism and poverty and sent record numbers of migrants to the U.S. southern border, leaving the region’s fragile democracies in the worst state since the Cold War, according to former U.S. diplomats and civil society leaders.
In Guatemala, Central America’s most populous nation, Mr. Giammattei has methodically dismantled the last vestiges of independent institutions. ...
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Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/17/world/americas/central-america-democracy-biden.html
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