Cutting Aid to the Northern Triangle is a mistake

Cutting Aid to the Northern Triangle Illustrates the Gap Between U.S. Strategy and Capacity in the Region | Small Wars Journal

In late March, the United States unexpectedly decided to cut foreign assistance to the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The move caught some U.S. policy makers, diplomats, and defense officials by surprise as the countries have combined to receive over $4 billion dollars in U.S. foreign aid from 2009-2019, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development. Details about the withdrawal of U.S. aid remain unclear but it appears the U.S. decision to significantly reduce aid to these countries is unlikely to be reversed. The U.S. decision to dramatically cut foreign aid to these countries is worrisome for numerous reasons, least of all these: From a policy perspective it makes little sense as the destructive dynamic plaguing these countries to include soaring violence levels, pervasive criminality, drug and human trafficking, corruption, poverty, unemployment, and the proliferation of gangs and transnational criminal networks (TCNs) stand only to further deteriorate and worsen with the withdrawal of U.S. foreign aid and assistance. These negatives almost certainly will drive more U.S.-bound migrants north in search of more robust economic, and financial opportunities and a better quality-of-life. The move further illustrates how U.S. national security and defense policies are out of sync and as a result are unlikely to achieve U.S. strategic national security objectives.

President Trump’s 2017 National Security Strategy states “the United States must devote greater resources to dismantle transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and their subsidiary networks… Every day they deliver drugs to American communities, full gang violence, and engage in cyber-crime… The United States must retain a ready force that is capable of protecting the homeland while defending U.S. interests”. If Washington is serious about dismantling TCOs and disrupting cocaine trafficking into the United States it must prioritize more assets to support Admiral Faller’s efforts so that his command is better resourced to interdict and reduce the flow of dangerous, illicit drugs from entering the United States. If not, Washington should lower its expectations and rethink its regional objectives as the withdrawal of U.S. aid to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador diminishes U.S. regional leverage and leaves many U.S.-declared goals like dismantling transnational criminal networks no longer viable.

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Terminating US aid to the Northern Triangle countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras) is both a strategic and a tactical mistake that will only serve to increase the flow of migrants north to the US border and asylum requests. Then again, it is in Donald Trumps political interests now that he is in full campaign mode for 2020, to ensure that chaos reigns on the southern US border. One of his favorite tactics is to create or exacerbate a problem, and then crow to his base that his response is 'Trump protecting America'.

We cannot afford it. The left must choose. Open borders or welfare state.

Crystal said:

We cannot afford it. The left must choose. Open borders or welfare state.

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We've afforded it for 50 years Crystal.

Odd we can send billions to both Israel and Egypt, nations not even in our hemisphere.

Crystal said:

We cannot afford it. The left must choose. Open borders or welfare state.

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If we can't take care of our own backyard we might as well pack it in. Great nations are never cheapskates and our corporations use those nations mercilessly.

I agree that it will indeed push more people north.

We also have zero solutions to help those countries, where the people live in basically a terrorist state from the gangs. Their govts and police forces are nearly useless. The gangs come and take whatever they want, kill who they want, rape who they want. Take over businesses, shake down businesses. Literally no one is safe. There are no opportunities for young men unless they join the gangs.

Those 3 countries are in the top 10 most dangerous in the world, or close to it.

Rogue Valley said:

We've afforded it for 50 years Crystal.

Odd we can send billions to both Israel and Egypt, nations not even in our hemisphere.

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Another instance where Trump hits the nail right on the head. Sending moneys to these states in question
hasn't worked, no sense spending good money after bad!

Rogue Valley said:

We've afforded it for 50 years Crystal.

Odd we can send billions to both Israel and Egypt, nations not even in our hemisphere.

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We can’t afford it. We should not send taxpayer money to any nation.

Rogue Valley said:

Then again, it is in Donald Trumps political interests now that he is in full campaign mode for 2020, to ensure that chaos reigns on the southern US border.

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He's got to keep all those privately owned detention centers full!
Last thing on Earth those guys want is a solution to the immigration problem, are you kidding?
They want MORE illegal immigrants.

slick said:

Another instance where Trump hits the nail right on the head. Sending moneys to these states in question
hasn't worked, no sense spending good money after bad!

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This is our own backyard. We need to care for it or face the consequences.

Checkerboard Strangler said:

He's got to keep all those privately owned detention centers full!
Last thing on Earth those guys want is a solution to the immigration problem, are you kidding?
They want MORE illegal immigrants.

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Indeed. That is what I explained in the OP. There is a method to this madness ..... create chaotic conditions that the Stable Genius can then "resolve".

His base, such as Crystal, eats this **** up.

Rogue Valley said:

Indeed. That is what I explained in the OP. There is a method to this madness ..... create chaotic conditions that the Stable Genius can then "resolve".

His base, such as Crystal, eats this **** up.

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Yes instead of actually helping his broken supporters out of their financial holes instead he makes others suffer so they "feel" superior. How they believe this is helping them is what is boggling.

Crystal said:

We cannot afford it. The left must choose. Open borders or welfare state.

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Who can't afford what? USA corporations are making massive profits from the cheap labor of those countries, in sweatshops and on plantations.

The USA has been controlling their governments for a long time, with disastrous results for the people of those 3 countries.

Mexico has announced it will implement a program in Honduras to create jobs and save the environment, with the aim of improving the lives of Honduras and reducing the impetus to emigrate. That is the sort of enlightened policy which we'll never see coming from the Trump Administration, and in fact runs counter to the USA policy for a long time of using those countries for profit and suppressing the rights of the people so that that may continue.

I used to live in Guatemala. Some of my friends were tortured and killed by USA-supported death squads. Nobody should be foolish enough to pretend that the USA is not the source of much of the mess in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

slick said:

Another instance where Trump hits the nail right on the head. Sending moneys to these states in question
hasn't worked, no sense spending good money after bad!

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This is laughable. USA "aid" to those countries has nearly all been for the purpose of keeping the people down and keeping the profits flowing to USA corporations.

Research the 1954 coup in Guatemala. While you're at it, Google "Gen. Efraín Ríos Montt", Reagan's buddy who unleashed death squads on the Guatemalan people, again in the corporate interest.

USA corporations make massive profits in those countries, still, and care not for the welfare of the people or the state of terror in which they live.

iguanaman said:

Yes instead of actually helping his broken supporters out of their financial holes instead he makes others suffer so they "feel" superior. How they believe this is helping them is what is boggling.

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Yes, a tried and proven tactic. For Hitler it was the Jews. For Trump, immigrants.