Much has been written about the short presidency of John F Kennedy.
He was the first Catholic president, a reformer who advocated for the New Frontier, a good speaker, and a charismatic person. However, and less mentioned, is how he supported soft power, or non-military power in Latin America. JFK started a program called the Alliance for Progress. Relationships between the US and Latin America were bad in the early 1960's when he entered office. Remember, Latin America joined the Allies in World War II. These countries in the American hemisphere increased their production of vital raw materials and kept their prices low after the war, when the United States began massive aid programs for Europe and Japan. At the same time, Latin American nations told us that they deserved economic assistance.
The threat of Communism in Latin America was also on American policymakers' minds during the Cold War. In 1954, the Central Intelligence Agency funded and supplied a revolution that overthrew the leftist government of Guatemala. In 1959, Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba and by 1961, the US had severed relations with his government. In response to these developments, Kennedy pleaded for the Alliance for Progress. In requesting funds from Congress, the President stressed the need for improved literacy, land use, industrial productivity, health, and education in Latin America. The US needed to help Latin America, where "millions of men and women suffer the daily degradations of hunger and poverty" and "discontent is growing." The US would provide money, expertise, and technology to raise the standard of living for the people of Latin America, hopefully making the countries better able to resist communist influences. Congress voted for an initial grant of $500 million in May 1961. During the next 10 years, billions were spent on the Alliance, but its success was marginal and there were many reasons that the program was ultimately a failure.
Congressmen were reluctant to provide funds for land redistribution programs in Latin America because they felt it was socialism. Latin American elites directed most of the funds into pet projects that enriched themselves but did little to help most of their people. The Alliance indeed failed in its effort to bring democracy to Latin America. By the time the program faded away in the early 1970s, 13 governments in Latin America had been replaced by military rule.
Recently, our country has witnessed the Donald Trump Administration's attack on foreign aid. Early in his second term, Trump issued an executive order freezing most US foreign aid for 90 days, which has tumultuously disrupted programs that fight starvation and deadly diseases, run clinical trials, and seek to provide shelter for millions of displaced people across the globe. The US Agency for International Development is the central government organization that provides humanitarian aid, such as food, medical assistance, and disaster relief. The freeze has hit it the hardest.
Foreign aid is a form of power, called soft power in international relations. It's a way of projecting power that also shows the humanitarian side of the American people. In addition, it turns other countries away from the China/Russia orbit. The Trump Administration's stance on foreign aid is a gift to the totalitarian/authoritarian orbit. Why? China's Belt and Road Initiative is an investment in countries around the world. What if relations grow warmer between Latin America and China? What happens when China installs a military installation in the Western Hemisphere, Latin America? There will be a counterbalancing act and high military budgets for years. Anyone who looks at the federal budget understands that military spending dwarfs foreign aid. Our current Cold War will become even colder. We need to ask ourselves a question as Americans. What type of country do we want to be? Where do we want to spend our money? What type of power do we believe in?
Jason Sibert is the Lead Writer of the Peace Economy Project
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