US News
US worries over Chinese, Iranian influence in Latin America
May 1, 2009, 22:51 GMT
Washington - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday the United States must reach out to Latin American leaders to reverse of the 'disturbing' trend of growing Chinese and Iranian influence in the region.
'If you look at the gains, particularly in Latin America, that Iran is making and China is making, its quite disturbing,' Clinton said while taking questions from State Departement employees after a speech.
The Bush administration's policy of isolating leaders who have led the opposition to US policies in Central and South America has failed and marginalized Washington's interests, she said.
The United States should extend a hand to Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, Bolivia's Evo Morales, Ecuador's Rafael Correa and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega.
'We see a number of countries and leaders - Chavez is one of them but not the only one - who, over the last eight years, has become more and more negative and oppositional to the United States,' Clinton said.
'The prior administration tried to isolate them, tried to support opposition to them, tried to turn them into international pariahs. It didn't work,' Clinton added.
President Barack Obama said at a summit in Trinidad and Tobago in April that he wanted to improve relations with Latin America after years of decline during the Bush years. Chavez and Obama shook hands and briefly exchanged words at the gathering.
Obama has also moved to improve ties with Cuba, the longest US foe in the region. He eased sanctions last month to allow Cuban- Americans to travel to the communist island, but Latin American leaders have urged him to go even further and end the comprehensive embargo that has been in place since the 1960s.
Obama has said he wants to see his gestures to Havana returned in the form of releasing political prisoners, expanding human rights and democratic reforms. Clinton acknowledged the United States stands alone in the region with its policy toward Cuba.
'Were facing an almost united front against the United States regarding Cuba,' she said. 'Every country, even those with whom we are closest, is just saying, 'You've got to change, you can't keep doing what you're doing'.'
Clinton said the United States and Venezuela are exploring the possibility of restoring ambassadors after both were expelled last year.
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Older Talkback
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Say that to a Marine's face sphincter mouth. Put your money where your dirty little pantywaist mouth is and go live in China, Cuba, Iran or even Venezuela yourself. I DARE you!
You are the only person(and I use that word loosely) here with a sphincter mouth. As an interseting point, hardly any post of yours goes without the word 'sphincter.' What is your fascinatiuon with this word? What is your anal fixation? It is well known that you are a GOP stooge. Is that where your potty mouth comes from, Pantywaist? Go join SP4 in a group grope. Go toe-tapping with the rest of your fruitcake, nutbar, Tundra Tart loving pack of religious zealots and fanatical, braindead 21% minority that supports the DEAD GOP. You are firmly ensconced in a minority, moron.
A loser minority at that.
Other than your ignorance and stupidity, do you have anything else to demonstrate on this site? Intelligence is far, far beyond you.
I have often wondered what end is served by the continuing US embargo on Cuba in the post Cold War world. Nor has the policy of isolating uncooperative Latin American regimes been an unqualified success. A new engagement with their concerns can do no harm and may help to fill a vacuum and stem growing Chinese influence. After all, both the US and Europe trade on a very large scale with China Herself. It is what accounts largely for Her enormous economic growth.
First let me respond to punknuts. Again I say, say it to a marine's face. You wouldn't dare because they would shove your head up your ass so far you would never be able to pull it out. You are a pantywaist punk, a stooge, a weakling. I say let em set you up with a bout in the Octagon.
Secondly: To Truebrit. I do agree that it is hypocritcal to trade with China yet not with Cuba. I don't think we should have done either. It is not fair to the majorioty of those peoples in either country that want to be free and cannot. I think it is obvious that because China is so large and powerful and trying to get them to open up through capitalism has been the route rather than direct confrontation where Cuba is small and realy very weak in comparison so we have taken a more direct approach. I don't think i s about being afraid of the bigger guy more than the smaller one but the worldwide consequences could be much greater by direcly confronting the Chinese than the Cubans. Whether that will play out to the benefit of their peoples is anyone's guess.
Have you had that group grope with SP4 yet? You should do it now. You are so full of yourself(sh*t) that you really, really need some healing lovin'. SP or one of your other toe-tapping Republican friends would be more than willing to oblige you, fit you into their busy schedules, as it were. Got any more empty threats to throw my way, bolweevil? Gonna send in the Mah-reens and Airfarce and the whole danged Harm-ee? Keep tapping away at your keyboard, boy. Keep shooting those bullsh*t bullets. You're good for nothing else.
hypocritcal
I don't think (we agree on one thing)
majorioty
those peoples
I think (NOT)
I don't think (once again, Dave asserts the truth)
i s is anyone's guess.
their peoples
Dave's grammar is even worse than his spelling. Nothing of what he says makes sanse. Yup, no wonder Dave supports the GOP. They are the only ones who welcome idiots as supporters. Seeing as how only 21% of the population supports the GOP, it is no wonder that the minority of Americans (religious fruitcakes, gun nuts, Aryan Nations whackos, the KKK and Tundra Tart loving stooges)are an ever decreasing minority. This, of course, raises Dave's standard in the party, as one of the few, remaining true morons. Dave supports a loser party, because he is a loser.
Do you get your mommie to type your name at the beginning of your posts? It may be the ONLY thing that is correct.
Marines? You must have been one of the idiot Marines. Most of the time the Navy has to go in and rescue the Marines. Not once but numerous times I had to do go in and pick up a bunch of stupid Marines that let their alligator mouths get their humming bird asses in trouble. In Vietnam the Marines would rush in loose a bunch of guys and then the Army and Navy would go in and rescue the ones that survived.
A real Marine does not run around making a point out of beating their chests. They are solid, realistic fighting men. One out of five are like you, big mouths. Get a life Dave and get away from the 21%ers.
It is China's ever increasing economic prosperity, access to international forums on a basis of equality with the west, and the raised expectations of her people that offer the best prospects for an eventual liberalisation of her political institutions.Why should this not apply to Latin America as well? Another area of the world with a large, culturally sophisticated population and immense natural resources. China's still absolutist rulers are going to find it more and more difficult, I think, to continue riding the Dragon.
What we must do about china is what the British did before us.
We have to go in guns blazing and force them to consume opium and become opium addicts, by the use of force, so that they never advance and challenge our global domination even on an economical level, remember, it is WE WHO ARE THE CHOSEN PEOPLE OF GOD!
Unfortunately we lost our chance by taking on Vietnam instead of china at a time when china was weak, now we no longer have this opportunity so all we can do is sabotage them whenever they go outside their own country to do business, since they don’t have weapons and military suited for long distance fighting like our own imperialistic army.
AND REMEMBER, THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY, THE AMERICAN WAY!
Although it's still desperately unfunny as satire the 1st bit is quite accurate, historically. Which makes a pleasant change. Oh, but you forgot to mention sending a fleet to occupy bits of their territory and blow some junks out of the water when their authorities objected. Twice! The problem was, of course, that they had already turned us into Tea addicts, and buying the stuff was slowly bankrupting our poor little island.
Talking of junk, why don't you try some variation in style or form. The retarded, sanctimonious, ill-educated adolescent moralist approach is becoming irritating: And not, I fear, because your clumsy little pieces are too incisive and cutting.
The fact is, poor SP5, that I'm beginning to become embarrassed on your behalf.
Had system crash. Lost all data including emails. Can now receive, if you send. -B, the Cynic.
Cheers, my good Cynic!
...I am wondering if Barak actually knows what all those free trade deals were really for???
God, now he has to learn from scratch what MCCain, Bush, Hillary and Bill have known for 20 years.
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what's the problem here?May 2nd, 2009 - 16:37:42
Is the great, unfallible U.S. afraid of a little competition in the political/economic sector? That is the basis of capitalism, not monopoly, which stifles growth. Suck it up, cry babies.
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