Pubdate: Thu, 26 Apr 2012
Source: Chico News & Review, The (CA)
Copyright: 2012 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.newsreview.com/chico/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/559

BEYOND THE SUMMIT SCANDAL

Obama Learns He's Out of Synch With Latin American
Leaders

Americans will be forgiven if they know nothing about what actually
happened at the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia. The
major media seemed interested only in the prostitution scandal
involving members of the Secret Service.

As it turned out, President Obama found himself defending two
positions that are becoming increasingly unpopular in Latin America
and, to a great extent, in his own country: the Cuba embargo and the
so-called war on drugs.

None of Obama's Latin American counterparts support the embargo of
Cuba, and polls show a strong majority of the American people and
businesses also would like to see it end. Still, the United States was
able to ban Cuba from the summit, prompting Ecuador's president,
Rafael Correa, to boycott the meeting this year.

And on drugs, Obama had to confront a growing realization on the part
of Latin American leaders that the militarist approach, which has left
tens of thousands dead and threatens to destabilize the region, is not
working. Consumption of illicit drugs in the United States is as great
as ever.

This is an election year, and the president was not about to begin
touting the legalization of drugs, but he did acknowledge the
possibility that U.S. drug policies are doing more harm than good in
some parts of the world. Latin American leaders-notably those in
Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico-want to continue talking about
alternative approaches designed to lessen drug trafficking, including
decriminalization, and they increasingly insist that the U.S. do
something about the demand side of the supply-and-demand equation.

Obviously, with major Latin American leaders pushing for a full and
open discussion of the issue, the U.S. will need to become engaged.
There has to be a better way. The alternative is to continue down a
deadly, dangerous path that for more than 40 years has failed to
accomplish its aims while costing U.S. taxpayers hundreds of billions
of dollars. 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jo-D