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In the post 9-11 days, following the implementation of the Patriot Act, the United States began a crackdown on corruption in Latin America, arguing that their new anti-corruption policy was long overdue in a region racked by almost endemic public thievery.
Ostensibly, the policy was brought into being in the first place for two reasons. One, for national security reasons, because the U.S. felt that at least a portion of the hundreds of millions of dollars of laundered money that had been embezzled from such countries as Nicaragua and Guatemala might find its way into the hands of terrorists.
And, two, for fiscal reasons, because the Bush admininstration had committed itself to a 50% increase in foreign-aid spending, and didn’t want to see monies wasted on so-called ‘bent regimes’.
Whatever the case, the outcome of the U.S.’ new anti-corruption policy has been to everyone’s benefit (save the grafters and thieves, of course.)
