During a recent meeting of the House Foreign Affairs Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, Chairwoman Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) laid out an eyebrow-raising vision of the U.S. role in Latin America’s affairs under the so-called Donroe Doctrine.
Salazar praised President Donald Trump for strong-arming Colombian President Gustavo Petro into temporarily re-initiating Colombia’s failed drug war against Clan de Golfo. She fawned over a deadly American oil embargo of Cuba, urging Trump to “pull the plug” on Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel’s government. And she framed the illegal capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as a bold move that “spread freedom and democracy” across Latin America.
But most important, and least remarked upon, were the congresswoman’s comments about ports. Praising the Trump administration’s successful effort to kick Chinese-linked port operator CK Hutchison from sites near the Panama Canal, Salazar turned her attention to the Port of Chancay in Peru — the State Department’s latest target in its effort to root out Chinese influence in Latin America.
Hellbound and Down 