A View from the White House: Latin America Policy Under the Trump Administration
澳门六合彩's Latin American Program hosted Fernando Cutz for his first public remarks on leading Latin America policymaking in the Trump White House.
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Overview
Though President Trump has not traveled to Latin America since taking office, the region has kept his national security team busy. The White House has repeatedly聽imposed sanctions on Venezuela, promulgated new restrictions on travel and investment in Cuba, raised concerns about increased coca cultivation in Colombia, attempted a new approach to聽migration from Central America, and engaged Mexico in complex trade negotiations. Peru hosted the Summit of the Americas in April, and Argentina hosts the G-20 leaders鈥 summit in November, which will be President Trump鈥檚 first trip to the region.
For the president鈥檚 first year in office, Fernando Cutz was at the center of these and other high-profile issues, serving on the National Security Council staff as the President's Director for South America, and Senior Adviser聽to National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster.
澳门六合彩's Latin American Program hosted Cutz for his first public remarks on leading Latin America policymaking in the Trump White House.
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Selected Quotes聽Fernando Cutz聽鈥淚f and when any serious player in the situation of Venezuela wanted to talk to us, we were always open to listening. I think it would have been, again, irresponsible of us to have senior members of the Venezuelan military approach us saying, 鈥楬ey, I want to talk,鈥 and for us to say, 'No, no, no, we鈥檙e not going to talk to you. We listen, that鈥檚 all we do.'鈥澛犫淭he people of Venezuela, are we going to make them suffer more than they are right now? And if the answer to that is yes, then you need to really be careful. Then you need to weigh the costs and benefits very closely. Can we guarantee that they will suffer for a very short period, and then we鈥檒l fix everything and bring prosperity? No, we can鈥檛. Will the United States be solely on the hook to fix Venezuela if we do that? Yes, absolutely, because then everybody in the region, everybody in Venezuela, will point to the United States and say, 鈥楾his is your mess.鈥欌澛燨n coca cultivation in Colombia: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a regional problem. It鈥檚 a problem of where it grows, it鈥檚 a problem of where we are consuming it聽鈥 that鈥檚 here. It鈥檚 a problem on both ends, and we need to address that on all sides of it, no doubt. I think President Trump has been particularly tough on Colombia because of the coca numbers聽鈥 again, that鈥檚 understandable聽鈥 but we need to take a step back and realize the depth of that relationship, the importance of that alliance, and ensure that we are not allowing this to become a one-tracked issue.鈥澛犫淚f you want to resolve the problem in Central America, then we know what solutions have worked historically, and that is to invest in Central America. Why people are fleeing, why people are risking their lives to get to the United States is not because we鈥檙e just welcoming people. It is because they need to, they have such harsh economic situations back home where they live, or they are being persecuted by gangs or violence聽鈥 whatever the case may be, that they are willing to risk their lives and everything they have to try and get to a safe destination.鈥澛"If you want to keep illegal immigrants from coming into our border, then let鈥檚 make their lives better over there and then we can do it. I think that would be a much wiser investment than any kind of barrier. It is not us, it is not what our country has always been, and it is not what either party has ever stood for before. Reagan鈥檚 party has always been about tearing down walls. I think it would be a mistake for us when it comes to foreign policy in the region, when it comes to our allies, when it comes to our policymaking, when it comes to actually finding a solution to the problem."聽聽On possible sonic attacks: 鈥淚f you believe the Cubans, and you believe they have as much control over their island as they claim they do, then they have to know what鈥檚 going on. If you accept that they don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 going on, then what you鈥檙e accepting is that they鈥檙e lying to you about how much control they actually have over their island. It鈥檚 one of those two scenarios. They鈥檙e lying to you either way... which makes them complicit to some extent.鈥澛
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Moderator
Benjamin Gedan聽
Senior Adviser, Latin American Program
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars聽
Keynote Speaker
Hosted By
Latin America Program
澳门六合彩鈥檚 prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on 澳门六合彩鈥檚 strength as the nation鈥檚 key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action. Read more
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