President Bush In Sao Paulo

I have some questions about the spin being put on the current Latin American tour of President Bush. Why does the press focus so much on aid programs and the poverty of Latin American countries. Certainly these are worthwhile concerns, but it diverts the public's attention from the concern of Latin Americans for much more than mere money. It is nice that the US contributes to some programs in Latin American countries, and probably should be doing more. But what is included in the totals of current US contributions to countries in the region? In particular, is money for the "War on Drugs" being included in the aid totals? And what about trade protectionism against products from Latin American countries? What about the agricultural protectionism in the US public policy? These are concerns of Latin American which press coverage of the toou may be glossing over.

On another point, in the talk about the new ethanol deal between Brazil and the US there should be discussion of the protectionism afforded to US-based agribusinesses by limiting the importation of ethanol produced in Brazil. Is the US ethanol program a subsidy program for agribusiness, or is it an efficient way to increase the usage of energy from renewable resources in the US?

On still another point, demonstrations in honor of the President's visit may well be about the failure of the US to support freedom and democracy in the past six years. People in the US often overlook the radical idealism which Latino patriots took from the experience of the US in its early days. In some senses there has always been a sharing of democratic values between North and South America since the breaking of the colonial ties with Europe, in spite of the ways in which democracies in North and South America have fallen short over the years. It may be that people in Latin America are angry, in part, at the way the US has ignored its traditional role as a beacon for support for human rights, the rule of law, the observance of international committments, peaceful resolution of disputes, and the tolerance for diversity in recent years. Mr. Bush, if you are reading this blog, my suggestion to you is that "it's not just about the money."