I listened to a Julia Sweig talk on NPR about anti-americanism. At one point she was talking about how America is not responible for social welfare conditions in foriegn countries, especially in Latin America. Below is my transcription of what she said:
Allthrough I have talked alot about what the US has or has not done. Also the case there are certain things the US cannot be responible for nor can be held responsible for. And in Latin America, especially you know the elites in these societies, those that do have the wealth, becasue Latin America is not a poor region it is just a very unequal region. They do have some responsibility to implement something that I call a social contract. A social contract which means investing in their own people. And thats not somethime we can export. So I do think it is important to distinguish between where the US can be responible for something and where it frankly can't be.
The problem is that the US has intervened militarily in Latin America on behalf of small elites primarily when local governments were improving the social contract and living conditions of most of the locals. It has not being a stated policy that the US is always in favor of lower living standards for most people. It is just that the life styles of the rich and foreign investors are valued more highly.
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