US has turned its back on Latin America, says former White House official

Carlos Diaz Rosillo, former official of Donald Trump's administration, who was the Director of Public Policy at the White House, believes that the US has turned its back on Latin America, although the Latin American left has been able to sell its ideology very well. Recognizing the importance of Tourism as a generator of employment and income in the Region, in order to eradicate extreme poverty, Carlos Diaz Rosillo has highlighted the need to hold the "Americas Tourism Summit - Tourism Summit of the Americas, scheduled for February 15 and 16, 2024, in which authorities and leaders of Tourism of all the countries of America, together with Spain, Portugal, and France, will participate, and which will allow Latin American economic development. This international Congress, whose initiative is in charge of the Think Tank, Tourism and Society, is being developed in collaboration with the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom, belonging to the Florida International University, whose director is Diaz Rosillo.
 
Explain to me what is your relationship with Ron DeSantis, the current governor of Florida since 2019 and who has just launched his candidacy for the White House? 

I direct a premier think tank, the Adam Smith for Economic Freedom at FlU, created by the Florida State Legislature and Governor Ron DeSantis. We aim to inform, influence and inspire current and future leaders in the development and implementation of innovative public policies to promote economic freedom and prosperity. We try to provide the tools to change the narrative and expose students to the ideas of Democracy, not to indoctrinate them, but to let them know how a free market system works. We have many academic programs, for example: we bring to Miami, every semester, four former officials from all over the world, to teach classes. We also do public events, conferences, workshops, debates between different ideologies and we elaborate research projects; we also offer rigorous empirical analysis and studies that help in decision making. On the other hand, you ask me about DeSantis, I can tell you that he is a brilliant man who has done an extraordinary job as governor of Florida and who has a very clear vision of the direction the United States should take. He knows how to handle himself very well in the international scenario.

Before going into international politics, what will the first Congress (still in the making) on the tourism sector entail, which will help attract large foreign investments in Latin America in the future, contributing to the economic splendor of the Region?

The objective of this important event is to bring together ministers, authorities of tourism and commercial companies, as well as financial entities that support the development of the Americas, in order to contribute to the economic growth of the countries that make up this geographic space; to develop and promote an action plan that will help attract investment. It is scheduled for February 15 and 16 and the idea is to do it every year. The Forum of the Americas, an independent institution that brings together the efforts and initiatives of countries and leaders of the tourism industry, will also be presented. We will put into practice the adoption of institutionalized public-private partnerships for the social, economic and cultural development of these countries, through, as I said, the promotion of good practices that will stimulate the growth of tourism activity.

With respect to the current vision of the foreign policy of the United States... What issues do you think an eventual Republican Administration could continue and which ones would imply changes in the foreign action?

I think there are going to be many changes. What happens in Latin America is going to have a direct impact on the US. Both this Administration and many of the previous ones have ignored Latin America. It has not been given the attention it deserves. In this case, particularly in the current Administration, the disregard has been serious. And in the few areas where there has been some attention, they have reached out to governments like Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The US has been able to maintain very useful relations with, for example, Guatemala and Paraguay (the only governments that recognize Taiwan's independence) to increase its presence in the Region and this Administration is giving them a hard time. What I have seen is a politicization of foreign policy: giving preferences to governments of leftist ideology, and punishing others. China is a threat to democracy, free markets and hemispheric security. The U.S. can be more constructive as a viable option to generate long-term economic growth in the region, hence the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom is committed to developing new strategies that favor economic freedom and prosperity in the hemisphere. We have been aware of this for some time.

 What will be the US priorities in the reconfiguration of the European Security and Defense scheme?

The key to understanding the reconfiguration of Europe and the rest of the world is to assimilate the existence of the geopolitical problem between China and the US, which is receiving specific attention. For decades, Republican and Democratic governments agreed on a rapprochement with China and integrating it into the international system. One of Trump's great achievements has been to refocus the world's attention on the great danger that China represents for Western Democracies. We are talking in the context of a new cold war. A conflict between two very different systems. Developing countries see the option of going to China as attractive, because they are offered great benefits, without going into the clauses of their contracts, which are scandalous. Their incursion is global as in Africa or Latin America. If the US and the EU do not unite in the fight against China, we will be speaking Mandarin in the long run. China exerts influence because the US has not paid attention to the Region and China is occupying that space. Spain could play an important role in Latin America if it wanted to.

Do you think that the EU's actions in the Ukrainian war will lead to an unprecedented attrition in the long term? Could there be a progressive decline in this support?

I don't see a big agenda for Europe in this unfortunate conflict. Trump was criticized for believing that NATO should increase its military spending if it wanted to be a strong body. Today, NATO can defend Ukraine effectively, because the resources available came, in part, from the pressure exerted by Donald Trump. It was about European countries paying more for better defense of themselves. And who would have thought that we had a war on our doorstep?

Likewise: What is your opinion on the current US involvement in the Ukrainian war? Is it going to be viable to maintain military support in the long term? 

Support from all countries has been essential to curb Russia's abuse but the average American questions how long this transfer of billions of dollars. It is American taxpayer money. Politicians are going to have to do a better job of justifying why this aid to Ukraine. There is not going to be a decrease but there is going to be a higher and more effective level of audits to justify the spending.  Accountability, ultimately, and for the Department of Defense to be able to properly justify. It is going to continue to support Ukraine but not at an indefinite cost. 

Tell me about the significance of the recent U.S.-Spain agreement on migration.

For Washington, it is about relieving the migratory pressure on its border. I must admit that I do not understand why Spain is getting involved in this matter. There is no great strategic benefit for Spain so I don't see much logic. If the U.S. wants to stop illegal immigration, it should secure its border and in parallel, create economic development plans in the Latin American countries of origin and contribute to minimize the levels of extreme poverty.

 
 How would you define the current bilateral relations between Spain and the United States?

I would like to be respectful with the Spanish government, but I can affirm that with a Republican Administration and a Popular Party Administration, bilateral relations would be much more solid. They are governments that share quite a few ideas. Relations could improve infinitely. It is an already exhausted period for the Spanish voter who aspires to a forceful change. I am not an expert in Spanish politics, but I can clearly see from afar that there is enthusiasm to embark on a new path. What is going to happen with the absentee vote? Elections have never been held in the middle of the summer. Is the desire for change going to be effectively manifested, even though the ordinary Spaniard is on vacation? That is the question. The situation is complicated by the postal vote, no doubt about it.

Carmen Chamorro, CIP/ACPE board member/Diplomada en Relaciones Internacionales por la SEI/member of ADESYD