U.S. Will Train Latin American Militaries

10 November USA Today - U.S. Will Train Latin American Militaries by Barbara Slavin.

Quote:

---

Concern about leftist victories in Latin America has prompted President Bush to quietly grant a waiver that allows the United States to resume training militaries from 11 Latin American and Caribbean countries.

The administration hopes the training will forge links with countries in the region and blunt a leftward trend. Daniel Ortega, an adversary of the United States in the region during the 1980s, was elected president in Nicaragua this week. Bolivians chose another leftist, Evo Morales, last year.

A military training ban was originally designed to pressure countries into exempting U.S. soldiers from war crimes trials.

The 2002 U.S. law bars countries from receiving military aid and training if they refuse to promise immunity from prosecution to U.S. servicemembers who might get hauled before the International Criminal Court. The law allows presidential waivers.

The White House lifted the ban on 21 countries, about half in Latin America or the Caribbean, through a presidential memorandum Oct. 2 to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The training is conducted in the USA.

A ban on giving countries weapons remains. Commercial arms sales are not affected, said Jose Ruiz, a U.S. Southern Command spokesman.

The training ban had resulted in a loss of U.S. influence in the region. The issue gained urgency after a string of leftist candidates came to power in Latin America...

---

How did John Wayne say it, "Dawnday estaw al Banyo?" Personally I prefer, "Una Cerveza Por Favor".:D Anyway you cut it, brush up on your espanol, open up a JOTC, and learn some South of the border Geogrpahy. SouthCom will probably get beefed up as well.
Rob

Nahhh,Mas frias cervezas por favor, which puts us ahead of the Donde esta bibliotecha?. Actually expand security cooperation with the ABC powers, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Costa Rica, an regional "isolation" plan. Rob have you made it to Dahuk yet? It is kind of like in country R&R.

Yea, Dahuk is great. We joke about Kurdistan being like Texas - you know people in Texas are US citizens, but if you ask them where they are from, its Texas! We were going to hit Irbil because the prices are supposed to be better, but the selection is better in Dahuk. Getting chilly up there this time of year. Lots of investment going in up there - last time I was there I met some folks looking for opportunities. When were you there last?
Regards, Rob

I was last in Dahuk a year ago, Uh, as a Texan be careful making that comparison:D i left Iraq last January. I did all of 2005 as an Iraqi Army advisor. I was on the first of the army G-3 resourced advisor teams out of the active component.

You do have to admit, both prize their own flags quite a bit;) Its hard not to notice the security and stability in Kurdistan, particulalry when you contrast it to the rest of Iraq. However, Mosul is getting better. The IA & IP are working together better all the time - they have realized (at least on my side of the river) that they need each other, since neither have the forces to go it alone. We all sat down one day and aired everything out. Its not perfect, but its pretty good. Just in the last 8 months these guys have made some big strides. We sat down the other day and went over the last 3 years from a platoon of ICDC to a BN, to BDEs that have done their TOA, to a DIV HQs that will be there in the next 6 months. What is great is the leadership is starting to form a common understanding about where they are at, and where they need to go. I'm hoping that over the next 3-4 months I see as much progress as we have in the last 6 (it took the first few months just to figure things out)