Under 'democracy' cover, US set to tighten grip on Central America

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
30 Nov 2022 10:54
7 Shares

US Congress discusses a new bill to increase grip over Central American countries that are shifting away from Washington's influence.

US Congress

The US Congress is discussing a new bill to support Washington's political influence in Central America, as the United States's grasp over the region frails.

With leftist governments taking over in Nicaragua and Honduras, and an independent government in El Salvador, all critical of the United States, the US Congress is discussing a new bill titled "Central American network for Democracy Act."

It was proposed to allocate an amount of USD 10 million to support this bill for the fiscal year 2023.

The new American legislative proposal stipulates that the US State Department shall establish a "fellowship program" to be known as the "Central American Network for Democracy."

The program aims to "support a regional corps of civil society activists, lawyers (including members of the judiciary and prosecutors’ offices), journalists, and investigators for regional democracy and rule of law activities in Central America," according to the bill.

The US empire has lost its chokehold on Central America. Nicaragua & Honduras have leftist governments; El Salvador has an independent government that is critical of the US and close to China

So the US Congress introduced a new "democracy act" to fund fifth columns in the region pic.twitter.com/7BPK4djq2v
— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) November 29, 2022

The draft also includes in its clauses a focus on assisting "members of the regional corps in leveraging lessons learned in order to contribute to regional democracy and rule of law activities in Central America, including electoral and transition support, institutional reform, anti-corruption investigations, and local engagement."

The new bill calls for the secretary of state to take steps that may be necessary to obtain support for the fellowship program associated with "international foundations, regional and United States governmental and non-governmental organizations, and regional and United States universities; and to ensure the fellowship program is well coordinated with and complementary of existing mechanisms, such as the Lifeline Embattled CSO Assistance Fund."

It also calls for coordination of efforts between the "Department of State, the United States Agency for International Development, the Department of Justice, the Department of the Treasury, the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Court for Human Rights, and the United Nations."

The most direct-interventionist approach set by the bill comes in the form of potentially strengthening "protection for the physical safety of individuals who must leave their home country to participate in the program, including assistance for temporary relocation, English language learning, and mental health support."