when you say it is not DR friendly, can you flesh it out a bit?
if it is not DR friendly, do you think the US unfriendly to a particular group of countries, the list of which encompasses the DR, or do you think the DR did something to set them off?
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Marco Rubio (Republican Senator - Florida) mentions the DR (not good!)
when you say it is not DR friendly, can you flesh it out a bit?
if it is not DR friendly, do you think the US unfriendly to a particular group of countries, the list of which encompasses the DR, or do you think the DR did something to set them off?
I don't think they are or will ever be unfriendly due to the amount drugs flowing from that region (Caribbean) into the US. The DR plays a big part in "helping" to stem the flow of illicit drugs to the US.
This I would like to hear more, please care to share?
Back to Marco and the DR. He (Marco) has no direct influence in the relationship between the DR and the USA nor over the channels (State Department/Embassy) by which the relation is controlled.
If the DR-US relations were harmed, DR would not have a 911 system right now, nor would it be expanding to other parts of the country. The money for that system does not come from AI's, or the sale of tourist cards. Also, US Southern Command would not be doing joint training exercises with their Dominican counterparts. Relations are solid.
PRD is like that ho from an article about a family of prostitutes, spawning bastard kids of PLD and now PRM. i always see their political profile as a mésalliance between socialist left and christian right that sits uncomfortably in the middle, being neither of the two.
this is why i asked about DR "supporting" maduro. the economical tie is strong and there is also an element of "latin brotherhood", so to speak. but i don't think it extends further than this.
Marco Rubio is a Republican Senator (Florida) in the US Senate.
The representative of the DR in the OAS recently voted to abstain regarding a possible OAS intervention in Venezuela. Most countries voted in favor of intervening. Most of the countries that abstained or voted against are Caribbean countries (think PetroCaribe and it all makes sense.)
What could Rubio mean by 'impact relationship with US?'
Will the US impose sanctions on the DR, affecting trade?
Will the US make it harder for Americans to travel to the DR, affecting tourism?
Will the DR be put on a list of an 'axis of evil' type?
Marco Rubio would be better served if he worried more about Florida, Trump and Cuba than the DR. I doubt that the DR Gov is overlly concerned about his statements. His party can't agree on much and have no backbone. They are morally bankrupted led by a President who can't use three syllable words. #So sad.
The DR gets a tremendous amount of aid from the US. specifically for drug interdiction, otherwise, the authorities would be just like they were in Colombia with the drug trafficking. Not sure how many people know that the DR also gets a lot of money for sending military assistance to places where the US needs allies to chip in.
The only ideology is jeepetology.
I once posted about this on DR1 but in the Cuban context. A Dominican friend, a PRSC voter, had framed portraits of Che and Fidel on his living room wall alongside Balaguer. It made me realise that this was an expression of his Latin American nationalism - and to an extent an anti-US sentiment - which overrides right vs. left ideologies or allegiances. As a footnote - all these years later this friend is living in NY and has acquired US citizenship.
The DR got $21.6 million from USAID in 2016. They are getting over $22 million this year of which they already spent $12 million. USAID is the agency tasked to assist developing countries and distribute foreign economic aid. I know they are active in the DR. Up until 2013, the DR was receiving more than $42 million annually in direct USAID funding. That amount does not include the money given for programs that include security, education, drug war, and democracy. Gotta have Democracy! Why do you think that DR is so hard on drugs? Their seizures of drug shipments correlates with the amount of money that they receive. They get funds for education, disease control, and oh yeah, for conducting elections.
All the political parties in the DR have one thing in common! That is to rob the national treasury blind when they win the election. That's all it's about, not serving the "Patria". I know a few and that is what is all about. Campaign, win, and get a nice post where you can divert the funds to your personal piggy bank. Even when the guy running for president is honest, his staff does not miss a beat with robbing the country. After every election there is always a corruption scandal.
That's because in the DR there is a class war. The rich and educated look down on the poor. Yes, the nationalism is a good part of it as the industrialize nations have taken advantage of Latin American nations for decades. They see these idiots and their ideology as the way things should be where everyone is playing on a fair playing field. Cuba did not remain communist all these years because they loved it. They were forced to endure the hardships. the honeymoon probably lasted a dozen years until normal things were no longer available to average Cubans. Your friend quickly adopted the democratic and capitalist values because they saw that having freedom outlast any other form of government.