| LATIN AMERICA HAS BEEN LARGELY IGNORED DURING OBAMA'S PRESIDENCY "U.S. President Barack Obama Is Likely To Face Complaints About A Perceived US Neglect Of Latin America When He Huddles With Regional Leaders At A Summit In Colombia This Weekend." ("US To Hear Grumbling At Americas Summit," AFP, 4/12/12) The Washington Post : Central America "Mostly Ignored In Washington." "Two elections in Central America have underlined the growing problems in a region that is mostly ignored in Washington. On Sunday former general Otto Perez won Guatemala's presidential election with a slogan long favored by Latin American authoritarians: 'mano dura,' or iron hand, which he promises to apply to the Mexican drug traffickers and criminal gangs that have virtually taken over the country and sent the murder rate soaring. As with Honduras and El Salvador, Guatemala is in danger of being overwhelmed by the drug trade and the violence it engenders. But Mr. Perez's promises to cut the crime rate in half are unlikely to be fulfilled by his plan to expand and deploy the army." (Editorial, "Central American Elections Highlight U.S. Neglect Of The Region," The Washington Post , 11/8/11) Obama Has Ignored Violence And Conflict In Latin America That Lies Right At The U.S. Doorstep. "To my surprise, in his speech at the General Assembly's opening session, President Obama talked at length about Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Cote D'Ivorie - about almost every major conflict, except the one right next to the United States… it felt odd that Obama didn't mention the words drugs, cartels, organized crime, or Mexico even once in his U.N. speech, ignoring a war that has caused nearly 40,000 deaths in Mexico alone over the past five years - much more than all recent Middle Eastern uprisings - and that is becoming one of the biggest hurdles to economic growth in the region." (Andres Oppenheimer, "Obama's U.N. Omission: The War Next Door," The Miami Herald, 9/21/11) Obama's Approval Rating In Latin America "At A New Low" "U.S. President Barack Obama's Job Approval Rating In Latin America Is At A New Low Ahead Of The Sixth Summit Of The Americas Taking Place In Cartagena, Colombia, This Week." (Peter Cynkar, "Opinion Briefing: U.S.-Latin American Relations," Gallup, 4/12/12) - Obama's Median Job Approval At 47 Percent In 2011, Down From 62 Percent In 2009 . "Obama's median job approval rating in the region rating stands at 47% in 2011, down from 62% in 2009." (Peter Cynkar, "Opinion Briefing: U.S.-Latin American Relations," Gallup, 4/12/12)
- Only 24 Percent Of Latin Americans "Believe Relations Will Strengthen With Obama," Down From 42 Percent In 2009 . "Many Latin Americans have lost faith in Obama's ability to strengthen ties between Latin America and the U.S.: A median of 24% across the Latin American countries Gallup surveyed in 2011 believe relations will strengthen with Obama, down from 43% in 2009." (Peter Cynkar, "Opinion Briefing: U.S.-Latin American Relations," Gallup, 4/12/12)
Obama Failed To Meet Expectations In Many Latin American Countries. "In neighboring Mexico, residents were half as likely to believe relations would get stronger under Obama in 2011 (19%) as they were in 2009 (43%). Mexicans, along with Venezuelans (17%), Bolivians (17%), Trinbagonians (16%), and Guatemalans (13%), are the least likely to expect relations to get stronger." (Peter Cynkar, "Opinion Briefing: U.S.-Latin American Relations," Gallup, 4/12/12) Research RNC |
