Obama reinforces militarization of Latin America policy

President Barack Obama has largely disappointed hopes for an "equal partnership" with the countries of Latin America, according to the latest in a series of annual reports on U.S. relations with the region released here Monday. The report by three U.S. groups with close ties to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the region found that the administration's military base agreement with Colombia, its equivocal response to the military coup d'etat in Honduras, and its failure to move more quickly to normalize relations with Cuba have been among the chief reasons for growing disillusionment. The groups expressed particular concern about the continued emphasis on military and security aid programs and the leading role played by the U.S. Southern Command (SouthCom) in developing relations with Latin America. "In 2010, 47 percent of Washington's more than three billion dollars in aid to Latin America is going to militaries and police forces," noted Adam Isacson, senior security analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and co-author of the report, "Waiting for Change".