Erasing the Lines Press Release
New Study Analyzes Trends in U.S. Military Programs in the Hemisphere
Washington, DC, 15 December 2005 – U.S. military programs are erasing the line between military and civilian roles, both on the ground in Latin America and in the U.S. government’s own foreign policymaking worldwide, according to a report released today by three Washington-based human rights organizations.
Erasing the Lines, a study of current U.S. military assistance in Latin America, highlights several disturbing recent trends. Taken together, they paint a troubling picture: the lines separating military and civilian governance roles, firmly drawn by many Latin American governments after decades of conflict and military dictatorships, are being erased both in U.S. policy and in the region. These changes are taking place as “security” doctrines are applied to a broad range of social problems and governance challenges.
The lines are being erased at home as well, as the defense sector plays an ever-greater role in the design and management of foreign aid. Military assistance programs are moving into the Defense budget, where they are subject to less transparency and civilian oversight, and are able to bypass important human rights and democracy conditions.
An analysis of the trends documented in Erasing the Lines reveals that:
First, the U.S. government is changing the rules regarding how military assistance programs are designed and carried out. Fifty-seven percent of military training in Latin America is funded directly by the Pentagon, outside of the State Department-managed foreign aid budget. This year the Pentagon made a grab for even greater authority to train and equip foreign forces. That means that the State Department is losing control over these risky foreign policy tools, and Congress is carrying out almost no oversight. “There are changes taking place, with no public debate, that are removing the State Department from the foreign security assistance program and making 40 years worth of human rights and democracy legislation irrelevant,” commented Joy Olson, Executive Director of the Washington Office on Latin America.
Second, the U.S. military is engaging at new levels on a range of regional problems that are not military in nature. The U.S. defense establishment is viewing as “security threats” a wide range of phenomena that do not require a military response, from youth gangs to populist movements to drug-trafficking. Instead of helping Latin America to address these problems by encouraging economic development and strengthening civilian institutions, military aid to the region has multiplied since the 1990s and economic aid has stagnated. “Latin America is the largest recipient of U.S. military training worldwide, and U.S. military aid to the region almost equals economic and social aid. This makes absolutely no sense for a region whose greatest challenge is overcoming poverty and inequality,” said Adam Isacson of the Center for International Policy.
Third, the U.S. government’s policies in the “global war on terror,” including torture and rendition, have caused it to lose its moral authority on human rights issues in the hemisphere. The impact can be seen most clearly in Latin American and Caribbean governments’ reactions to the U.S. push for bilateral “immunity agreements” exempting U.S. personnel from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Not even the U.S. government’s heavy-handed policy of withholding economic and military aid to poor nations has convinced these countries to forego their commitment to the ICC, and a surprising number of Latin American and Caribbean nations are risking partial aid cut offs as a result. “Latin American nations are being punished by the United States for taking a stand against impunity for human rights violators,” said Lisa Haugaard, Director of the Latin America Working Group Education Fund. “It’s impressive to see governments that could benefit from U.S. aid refusing to accept it out of principle.”
Erasing the Lines is a joint study by the Latin America Working Group Education Fund (LAWGEF), the Center for International Policy (CIP), and the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA).
An executive summary of Erasing the Lines will be available, along with the full report, on our website (www.wola.org) on Thursday morning, December 15th, at 9:30 am. The report provides a more in-depth analysis of the major trends in U.S. military programs in the hemisphere.
Eleven Trends
1. The Defense Department makes a play for greater control over foreign military programs.
2. A new counterterrorism program increases the Defense Department’s role in foreign military training.
3. U.S. military aid still nearly equals economic aid to the region; neither category has changed significantly since 2003.
4. The “securitization” of social issues muddies the waters.
5. The U.S. and Central American militaries contemplate a role in combating gang violence.
6. A new International Law Enforcement Academy to be established in El Salvador.
7. “Enduring Friendship” maritime program could blur lines at sea.
8. Human rights groups struggle to apply human rights provisions.
9. Insistence that U.S. soldiers be protected from International Criminal Court limits U.S. aid to region.
10. U.S. policy fails to comprehend rise of Andean populist movements.
11. U.S. drug policy in Colombia at standstill, involvement in war grows.
For further information contact:
Joy Olson, WOLA: 202-797-2171 (office) or 202-468-3413 (cell)
Adam Isacson, CIP: 202-232-3317 (office) or 202-329-4985 (cell)
Lisa Haugaard, LAWGEF: 202-546-7010 (office)
