Trump Is Backing His Scandalous Ally In Guatemala

News related to Guatemala typically doesn’t generate much buzz with foreign-policy analysts or international media. However, if there is a tie-in to Donald Trump, it has a chance of gaining exposure.

Unfortunately, a brilliant report by McClatchy didn’t receive the attention that it deserved. It pointed to an underhanded diplomacy gesture by the Trump administration to minimize Guatemala’s independent anti-corruption organization, CICIG.

Long story short, the extensive corruption within the Guatemalan government prompted the creation of the CICIG, which is backed by the U.N. The list of high-level Guatemalan officials who have caught in these types of scandals is quite lengthy. It includes the ex-Presidents, Otto Perez Molina, Alvaro Colom, and Alfonso Portillo.  

Likewise, the former Vice President, Roxana Baldetti, is facing corruption charges, along with allegations that she accepted a $250,000 bribe from the Zetas cartel. The former Minister of the Interior also allegedly accepted a $1.5 million bribe from Los Zetas.

Again, this list can go on forever. Hence, there’s an absolute necessity to maintain the strength and independence of the CICIG. However, the President of Guatemala, Jimmy Morales, has taken several measures to tear down this institution.

Jimmy Morales - Flickr - US Embassy in Guatemala

In particular, Morales tried to deport the head of the CICIG, Ivan Velasquez, who is a Colombian. The reason being, Morales and his family are the targets of a wide range of political scandals. Much like Trump, he has tried to paint these scandals as “fake news.” They range from money laundering, links to drug traffickers, corruption, campaign finance laws, and more.

Anyhow, did the thought of deporting the head of the CICIG remind you of the Comey firing? Well, there are numerous other apt comparisons. In fact, there are too many to list in a blog post. However, I have an article with openDemocracy, “Trump-style Latin American Leaders,” which details the many uncanny resemblances between the Trump and Morales administrations. (A series of sexual assault allegations have been directed at Morales since that article was published.)

Morales responded, in kind, by moving the Guatemalan embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and that certainly showed solidarity with Trump. With that in mind, the McClatchy article pointed to pressure exerted by the Trump administration to weaken the CICIG in a variety of ways. All in all, this is another example of the disgraceful transactional foreign policy of the Trump administration. 

Even more despicable is the administration that is being enabled by the U.S. government. A recent article, “The Assassinations of Indigenous Leaders in Guatemala Trigger Fear as Political Cycle Begins,” in Truthout by Jeff Abbott absolutely drives home the point.

I’d definitely recommend reading that article, along with the aforementioned McCarthy article, to understand the extreme implications associated with this decision by the Trump administration. Unfortunately, it falls in line with so many other disastrous foreign policy decisions that have propped up so many tyrants, kleptocrats, dictators, etc.

US Journalist Tim Rogers Leaves Nicaragua Due To Threats From Sandinista Groups

Protests erupted throughout Nicaragua last week in response to plans to reduce social security benefits. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega later reversed this decision after as many as 63 protestors have been killed by government forces.

The Latin-America-focused news organization, Fusion, sent its editor, Tim Rogers, to report on the story. However, he left on Friday due to threats from pro-Sandinista groups labeling him as a CIA agent, per Nicaragua-based La Prensa.

Tim Rogers - Twitter

Anyone familiar with the work of Fusion would never confuse it with a CIA front. (A correspondent from…say…The Washington Post, on the other hand, could deservedly receive such speculation.) Rogers (who had been fairly supportive of Ortega's cause) had lived and worked as a journalist in Nicaragua for many years. However, his critical anti-corruption reporting resulted in these kinds of smears in the past. With that said, being labeled as a CIA agent can be viewed as a death threat in Nicaragua in its current tumultuous state.

If you're not familiar with Nicaragua's current politics, Daniel Ortega is repeating the legacy of the Somoza dictatorship; albeit, as a corrupt left-wing tyrant. He’s been in power for decades and his real-life House of Cards saga was cemented by choosing his wife as his Vice President.  

Daniel Ortega was legitimately elected president in 2007. However, he was reelected to a third consecutive term in 2016, which had been unconstitutional until the majority-party-dominated National Assembly voted to remove term limits.  

Such egregious power grabs and more, however, haven’t been widely opposed. The Nicaragua economy has steadily improved during his time in office and crime has remained one of the lowest in a region plagued by violence. That has helped to placate opposition uprising. 

Despite rampant corruption, Ortega has leveraged his geopolitical relationships. His vehement anti-American rhetoric has helped maintain strong ties with Venezuela, which has supplied Nicaragua with generous subsidies that have helped fund the country’s social programs. 

To the contrary, Ortega has also been able to avoid much pressure from the U.S., in part, because he has been friendly to multi-national corporations. Although he professes to be a socialist, Ortega has given many cushy tax incentives for foreign investment. 

All in all, there hasn’t been much public unrest as Ortega has consolidated political power. However, this recent protest may be a sign of changes to come.

Missouri Senate Finally Passes Bill Reducing Gifts From Lobbyists

(This was written two weeks before the Missouri Senate passed a bill related to gifts from lobbyists.)

There’s no such thing as a free lunch and the legislature is no exception. Unlimited gifts from lobbyists to lawmakers may be the most symbolic issue in regard to special interests. The Kansas City Star has frequently reported on legislative efforts to curtail this activity, including a database of gifts received by each Missouri lawmaker.

Nonetheless, we can only remain hopeful that the Senate passes this watered-down bill that would still allow gifts from lobbyists in a group setting. These points and more were brilliantly conveyed in Jason Hancock’s recent piece, “Free meals, free booze, free travel: Is this the year Missouri bans lobbyist gifts?”

Remarkably, Rep. Rocky Miller asserted that passing this bill could harm public sentiment toward government. No. If this bill fails to be passed, again, it will only contribute to most voters’ cynical view of their elected officials.

We could take comfort in saying that the corrupt legislators need to be voted out of office. However, that’s where the rubber meets the road in the cycle of corruption. Missouri has no “cooling-off” period, i.e lawmakers can leave office and immediately work as a lobbyist. Hence, this bill, along with others, needs to be passed to achieve true ethics reform.