Versión Español
EspañolToday, Joel Fensch reported for the PanAm Post on Secretary of State John Kerry’s announcement, that the Monroe Doctrine was no more as a US policy. As I sought commentary, Ana Quintana, a research associate with the Heritage Foundation, responded in detail.
Although Quintana’s complete comment on behalf of the US-conservative organization did not fit in the article, I have placed it here, given that it merits attention:
Not only are Secretary Kerry’s statements shortsighted and give the impression of weakness, they also serve to reward bad behavior. Kerry focused on only calling out Cuba as the last nondemocratic country in the Western Hemisphere and had the audacity to refer to the “Cubanization” of Venezuela simply as a weakening of democratic institutions.
By failing to specifically call out the most flagrant violators of democracy, human rights, and economic freedom, Secretary Kerry is jeopardizing America’s role as the champion of democracy in the region and inadvertently legitimizing the Bolivarian Alliance. The regimes governing Cuba, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Argentina should be publicly condemned for their assault on democracy.
Additionally, it’s interesting that Secretary Kerry is making these remarks at the OAS, considering its lack of effective leadership. Earlier today at a panel discussion at The Heritage Foundation, Ambassador Roger Noriega pointed out how the OAS has made a mockery of the Inter-American Democratic Charter by:
- passing a resolution to lift Cuba’s suspension from the OAS in June of 2009;
- facilitating the return of the constitutionally removed Mel Zelaya of Honduras.
While Secretary Kerry recognizes the administration’s weak and essentially ineffective regional policy needs a serious overhaul, his hollow statements fall short.
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