69.17: Ties in the Americas
Strengthening Ties in the Americas Other Information:
We will resist foreign influence in our hemisphere. We thereby seek not only to provide for our own security, but also to
create a climate for democracy and self-determination throughout the Americas. The current Administration has turned its back
on Latin America, with predictable results. Rather than supporting our democratic allies in the region, the President has
prioritized engagement with our enemies in the region. Venezuela represents an increasing threat to U.S. security, a threat
which has grown much worse on the current President’s watch. In the last three years, Venezuela has become a narco-terrorist
state, turning it into an Iranian outpost in the Western hemisphere. The current regime issues Venezuelan passports or visas
to thousands of Middle Eastern terrorists offering safe haven to Hezbollah trainers, operatives, recruiters and fundraisers.
Alternatively, we will stand with the true democracies of the region against both Marxist subversion and the drug lords, helping
them to become prosperous alternatives to the collapsing model of Venezuela and Cuba. We affirm our friendship with the People
of Cuba and look toward their reunion with the rest of our hemispheric family. The anachronistic regime in Havana which rules
them is a mummified relic of the age of totalitarianism, a state-sponsor of terrorism. We reject any dynastic succession of
power within the Castro family and affirm the principles codified in U.S. law as conditions for the lifting of trade, travel,
and financial sanctions: the legalization of political parties, an independent media, and free and fair internationally-supervised
elections. We renew our commitment to Cuba’s courageous pro-democracy movement as the protagonists of Cuba’s inevitable liberation
and democratic future. We call for a dedicated platform for the transmission of Radio and TV Marti and for the promotion of
Internet access and circumvention technology as tools to strengthen the pro-democracy movement. We support the work of the
Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba and affirm the principles of the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966, recognizing the rights
of Cubans fleeing Communism. The war on drugs and the war on terror have become a single enterprise. We salute our allies
in this fight, especially the people of Mexico and Colombia. We propose a unified effort on crime and terrorism to coordinate
intelligence and enforcement among our regional allies, as well as military-to-military training and intelligence sharing
with Mexico, whose people are bearing the brunt of the drug cartels’ savage assault. Our Canadian neighbors can count on our
close cooperation and respect. As soon as possible, we will reverse the current Administration’s blocking of the Keystone
XL Pipeline so that both our countries can profit from this vital venture and there will no need for hemispheric oil to be
shipped to China.
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