ABOUT EL SALVADOR.
ACCORDING TO THE OFFICE OF THE
UNITED STATES TRADE
REPRESENTATIVES, THE FOREIGN
DIRECT INVESTMENT FROM PRIVATE
AMERICAN COMPANIES TO
EL SALVADOR IN 2019 WAS ABOUT
$3.4 BILLION.
FOR THE OTHER NORTHERN TRIANGLE
COUNTRIES IT WAS $1.3 BILLION
FOR HONDURAS AND $746 MILLION
FOR GUATEMALA.
THATS COMPARED TO $860 BILLION
IN FDI THAT WENT TO THE
NETHERLANDS, THE COUNTRY THAT
RECEIVED THE HIGHEST AMOUNT IN
2019.
TRAILING THEM WAS THE UNITED
KINGDOM AT $851 BILLION AND
LUXEMBOURG AT $776 BILLION.
ON THE FEDERAL SIDE INVESTMENT
WAS ON VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA
HARRISS AGENDA WHEN SHE TOURED
GUATEMALA WHERE SHE TALKED ABOUT
THE IMPORTANCE OF INVESTING IN
AGRICULTURE.
>> ONE OF THE BIGGEST BASIS FOR
THE ECONOMY IN GUATEMALA IS
AGRICULTURE.
IF YOU HAVE EVER MET OR KNOW A
FARMER, YOU HAVE MET SOME OF THE
MOST INNOVATIVE PEOPLE IN THE
WORLD BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO
ADAPT, BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO BE
CREATIVE, BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO
BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT CREATING OUT
OF A SITUATION THAT MAY BE
UNPREDICTABLE SOMETHING THAT IS
PRODUCTIVE.
SO WE ARE INVESTING IN GUATEMALA
IN THAT REGARD.
>> WITH ME NOW A SENIOR FELLOW
AT THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN
PROGRESS AND TERINI PARTE IS A
REPORTER FOR THE WHITE HOUSE
JOURNAL.
I WANT TO START WITH YOU.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS SAID THE
U.S. WOULD INVEST $30 MILLION
OVER THREE YEARS TO LAUNCH
INITIATIVE FOR YOUNG, PRIMARILY
INDIGENOUS WOMEN, IN GAUT MAUATE
WHY TARGET THAT KIND OF
INVESTMENT?
>> THE VICE PRESIDENTS AIDES
HAVE BEEN VERY CLEAR THEY WANT
TO FOCUS ON YOUNG WOMEN, THE
YOUTH IN THE COUNTRY AND THE
AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY INCLUDING
THE COFFEE INDUSTRY IN THAT
REGION.
THE REASON THEY WANT TO FOCUS ON
THOSE KINDS OF INVESTMENTS IS
BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE LONG-TERM,
CONSISTENT INVESTMENTS IN THOSE
INDUSTRIES, IN THOSE TYPES OF
PROGRAMS COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE
IN TERMS OF ADDRESSING THE ROOT
CAUSES OF MIGRATION.
NOT ONLY DO THEY WANT THE
GOVERNMENT TO INVEST IN THOSE
PROGRAMS, BUT THEYRE ALSO
CALLING ON PRIVATE SECTOR
INVESTMENTS IN THOSE INDUSTRIES
IN THAT REGION, BECAUSE THEY
BELIEVE THAT A CONSISTENT
APPROACH TO THIS COULD MAKE A
DIFFERENCE AND COUNTER THE SORT
OF IMBALANCE WE HAVE SEEN IN
FOREIGN AID FROM THE U.S. TO
THESE COUNTRIES AS
ADMINISTRATIONS CHANGE, AS
CONTROL OF CONGRESS CAN CHANGE. POLICIES TOWARDS THESE COUNTRIES
POLICIES TOWARDS THESE COUNTRIES
HAVE BEEN CHANGING AS WELL AS
FLULKT ASIAN IN
FLUCTUATION IN FOREIGN AID TO
THESE COUNTRIES.
>> LETS TAKE A LISTEN.
>> YOU CANT SAY YOU CARE ABOUT
THE BORDER WITHOUT CARING ABOUT
THE ROOT CAUSES, WITHOUT CARING
ABOUT THE ACUTE CAUSES, WHICH
INCLUDE THE FACT YOU ARE LOOKING
AT POPULATIONS FROM CENTRAL
AMERICA WHO ARE PLAGUED BY
HUNGER AND THE DEVASTATION
CAUSED BY THE HURRICANES AND, OF
COURSE, THE EFFECT OF THE
PANDEMIC.
>> I WANT TO ADD A PIECE THERE,
DAN, AND GET YOUR TAKE ON IT,
WHICH IS GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION.
I MEAN THE PARTNERS THAT THEY
HAVE HERE ARE NOT NECESSARILY
THE PARTNERS THAT THEY WANT.
HOW DO THEY ROOT OUT AND WORK
AROUND THAT PIECE?
>> BY MAKING CIVIL SOCIETY KIND
OF LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS WORKING
ON THE GROUND THEIR PARTNERS OF
CHOICE.
THE GOVERNMENTS ARE THE PARTNERS
OF NECESSITY AND THEY NEED TO,
QUITE FRANKLY, WORK WITH THEM
THE LEAST AMOUNT POSSIBLE.
I THINK THE ADMINISTRATION GETS
THAT, AND THAT THE REAL CHANGE
AGENTS IN THESE COUNTRIES ARE
FOLKS WHO SPEND EVERY DAY
WORKING TO MAKE THESE MORE
SUSTAINABLE SOCIETIES, OFTEN
AGAINST VERY DEEPLY ENTRENCHED
POWERS THAT BE, THAT STAND IN
THEIR WAY, THAT ARE OFTEN
ALIGNED WITH THE GOVERNMENT.
SO IT IS REALLY A QUESTION OF
HOW THE U.S. USES ITS MONEY AND
HOW IT USES ITS POLITICAL AND
DIPLOMATIC WEIGHT, AND HOW MUCH
MONEY THE UNITED STATES IS
BRINGING TO BEAR.
>> TARINA, AIDE HAVE SAID THAT
THEY HOPE TO REDUCE RELIANCE ON
U.S. FOREIGN AID AND BOOST
NONPROFITS AND THE PRIVATE
SECTOR AS A WAY TO CIRCUMVENT
WHAT DAN WAS TALKING THERE.
HOW DO THEY SEE IT BEING DONE
AND WHAT THRESHOLD DETERMINES
WHEN THESE COUNTRIES ARE NO
LONGER IN NEED OF THIS YOU AID?
>> I THINK IT IS A TOUGH
QUESTION IN TERMS OF HOW LONG IT
MIGHT TAKE.
WHAT THEYRE TRYING TO DO IS
BRING IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, SO
THE VICE PRESIDENT RECENTLY
ANNOUNCED COMMITMENTS FROM 12
COMPANIES TO INVEST IN THESE
COUNTRIES.
A LOT OF THE INVESTMENTS WERE IN
INFRASTRUCTURE IN THOSE
COUNTRIES.
FOR EXAMPLE, MICROSOFT IS GOING
TO BE INVESTING IN ACCESS TO
BROADBAND.
SO, YOU KNOW, THATS A START AND
A LOT OF THE COMPANIES HAVE BEEN
RELUCTANT TO INVEST IN THE
REGION IN THE PAST BECAUSE OF
THE CORRUPTION.
SO THE GOVERNMENT NOW BELIEVES
THAT WITH THESE ANTI-CORRUPTION
MEASURES THAT THE VICE PRESIDENT
ANNOUNCED, INCLUDING AN
ANTI-CORRUPTION TASK FORCE LED
BY THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, THAT
THEY CAN SORT OF WORK WITH THESE
COMPANIES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR
TO BOOST INVESTMENT AND ALSO
PERHAPS TACKLE CORRUPTION, WHICH
IS GOING TO BE A MUCH MORE
DIFFICULT AND LONG-TERM ISSUE.
>> DAN, I DONT NEED TO TELL YOU
THAT THERES THE POLICY PIECE OF
THIS AND THEN THERES THE
POLITICS PIECE OF THIS, AND ONE
OF THE MANY PLACES WHERE THOSE
TWO AREAS OVERLAP IS I THINK THE
ADMINISTRATION HAS TO BE ABLE TO
POINT TO SOME RESULTS AND SOME
SUCCESSES, WHICH IS INCREDIBLY
CHALLENGING BECAUSE WE ARE
TALKING ABOUT COMPLEX PROBLEMS
AND WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
LONG-TERM, SUSTAINED INVESTMENT.
WHAT ARE THOSE MARKERS THEY CAN
SET ALONG THE WAY, BOTH TO
MEASURE THE POLICY BUT ALSO TO
MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE
MAINTAINING THE POLITICAL
VIABILITY OF THESE INVESTMENTS?
>> NO, ABSOLUTELY AND IT IS A
DELICATE BALANCE.
I THINK A COUPLE OF THINGS.
ONE IS ON THE HUMANITARIAN SIDE.
WE HEARD THE VICE PRESIDENT
TALKING ABOUT ACUTE CAUSES AND
ROOT CAUSES.
ADDRESSING THE IMMEDIATE FOOD
INSECURITY IN CENTRAL AMERICA IS
SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN MEASURE
AND THAT U.S. ASSISTANCE CAN
HELP MOVE THE NEEDLE ON VERY
QUICKLY.
SIMILARLY, VACCINATION RATES IN
THESE COUNTRIES ARE ABYSMAL,
PARTICULARLY IN GUATEMALA AND
HONDURAS WHERE LESS THAN
ONE-HALF OF 1% OF THE POPULATION
HAS BEEN VACCINATED.
THE U.S. HAS ANNOUNCED ITS
INTENTION TO SEND VACCINES DOWN
RANGE AND PRIORITIZE THESE
COUNTRIES.
IT IS ANOTHER PLACE.
AGAIN, THATS ON THE ACUTE SIDE.
IN TERMS OF THE ROOT CAUSE, SOME
OF THIS IS, AGAIN, HOW DO YOU
BRING PRESSURE TO BEAR ON THESE
CORRUPT ELITES?
THAT WILL BE COUNTED IN TERMS OF
THE NUMBER OF VISAS REVOKED AND
THE NUMBER OF FOLKS WHO HAVE HAD
FINANCIAL SANCTIONS AGAINST THEM
IN THE UNITED STATES.
ON THE ELITES IN THESE COUNTRIES