Dallas News - Trump could solve many of our problems by focusing on the Western Hemisphere

Op-Ed

Shortly after his inauguration, in these pages, I encouraged President Trump to maintain the longstanding principal of President James Monroe's "Monroe Doctrine" when considering the Western Hemisphere. Our fifth president's policy served as a key foundation of U.S. foreign relations and rejected the influence of intrusive and powerful colonial powers from Europe and beyond. In recent years, the actions by Presidents Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, and Bush 43 in the Western Hemisphere enhanced American prestige, boosted economic opportunities, and ushered in one of the greatest waves of democracy in history.

By working with our regional partners to isolate and remove external malicious interference in the Western Hemisphere by state and non-state actors, we can greatly reduce the flow of illegal drugs and human trafficking prevalent on our southwest border.

The president has recognized the moment in time in which we find ourselves and why we must act. The administration's support for Venezuelan opposition to Nicolás Maduro is critical given that this dictator is backed by global bad actors including Russia, China, Turkey, and Castro's Cuba. Ending a decades-long authoritarian rule in Venezuela and supporting the peaceful transition of power to the rightful president, Juan Guaidó, are key policy objectives for the Organization of American States (OAS) and the United States. By invoking the Monroe Doctrine, the president is echoing his predecessors in building a coalition to eject foreign mercenaries from Venezuela.

Further, I believe the transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), specifically MS-13, operating in Central America are significant threats to America's national security. Just as we have designated Hezbollah as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a TCO, I believe that the State, Justice, and Treasury Departments, along with the Intelligence Community, should consider designating MS-13 as an FTO.

Designating MS-13 as an FTO will give the administration additional powers to combat their illicit activities. While not a solution in and of itself, I believe that this designation will have second- and third-order effects that will help the governments of Central American countries where these thugs dominate. Likewise, in the United States, this action will contribute to alleviating another major contributor to the migrant crisis on our southwest border.

Also, I believe the United States must continue to take seriously China's infiltration into the Western Hemisphere. The United States must help our Latin American allies understand that making financial deals with China is a double-edged sword. While well-designed Chinese capital investment is constructive, Western Hemisphere countries need to look no further than the Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka that was recently turned over to Chinese control for the next 99 years as an example of the malicious "strings" that can come with poorly considered and one-sided Chinese investment.

Instead, the United States stands ready with robust private-sector investment, initiatives of the U.S. through the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), and our support of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to work across the region.

Likewise, the president's efforts towards the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) as a replacement for the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) represent a significant economic achievement. Canada and Mexico are the largest trading partners for the United States as well as my home state of Arkansas. This updated agreement fully complements our continued effort to achieve President Reagan's goal laid out in his 1988 State of the Union speech, namely a free trade area from Tierra del Fuego to the Artic.

With enhanced economic opportunities and stronger civil societies, citizens of the triangle countries would not flee or join criminal gangs in the alarming numbers that we have witnessed since 2014. The administration must seriously consider the ramifications of cutting off aid and ending Temporary Protect Status (TPS) for countries like Honduras and El Salvador. Ending these efforts weakens our enhanced Homeland Security plans and the president's recently announced security arrangement with Mexico. I agree that we must reassess and redirect aid, but simply ending these policies will not achieve our desired goals.

Instead, the United States and our partners must leverage our security and civil society support to assist the triangle countries. Recently, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan was in Guatemala and pledged to consider restoring American aid and committed to sending DHS agents to help combat human trafficking rings in these countries.

The United States and our friends face many challenges across the globe, and I believe that having an engagement plan for the Western Hemisphere that promotes economic growth, defeats authoritarianism, and conquers international drug cartels will economically benefit all nations. The Monroe Doctrine has withstood the test of time, proving a solid foundation for crafting a safer and more stable Western Hemisphere.

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