By Arthur Piccolo
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Sunday, March, 10, 2024: I don’t believe President Biden is senile. So don’t use that excuse, Joe. There is a far better illogically logical answer why there was not a single word about the Caribbean, Central America or South America in Biden’s most important speech of the year.
US President Joe Biden, during a State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 7, 2024. Election-year politics will increase the focus on Biden’s remarks and lawmakers’ reactions, as he’s stumping to the nation just months before voters will decide control of the House, Senate, and White House. Photographer: Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images
One of the world’s great land masses and by far the closest to the United States, and most important to America’s interests was ignored.
It is illogical because it could have been the highlight of his long speech. It is logical in twisted ways why he ignores the region in general. Because it is more than obvious – it is of no significant concern or interest to him. Please don’t tell me he is concerned about the region or its potential. GUARANTEED it would be in his State of the Union speech if he was at all.
Go read the transcript. The speech is filled with so much meaningless BS and contradictions. I counted at least 100 different ridiculous items he made sure to include in the speech. But the words Caribbean, South America, Central America, or even one country individually cannot be found.
This is at the same time of course when he brings up the issue of immigration – but without referencing this huge landmass below our border and the route 99% of migrants take to reach the United States.
So, if you do not think the Caribbean, South and Central America have common big problem, think again. The ironies of ironies here is it creates and has created just as much of a big problem for the United States. By the way I am not claiming this is a new issue – it goes all the way back to the founding of our nation in a multitude of ways. What Biden has done is highlight the problem to great prominence with his speech.
It is amazing or would be in a sane universe that the President, his large staff, the Dept of State and the entire huge federal bureaucracy could or would ever operate under the belief that the entire area south of our border is meaningless and irrelevant – when China and its global ambitions do not think so.
Does anyone not know that is if all those nations in the Caribbean and south of the United States borders were most or all more prosperous, more dynamic, more like the United States in their own way that the United States would benefit as much or more? A truly united America – North and South – would result in a far stronger United States. And do I even need to say it – the United States would be promoting immigration because so few south of our border would want to leave their homes to live in a foreign land.
The United States needs a completely new Americas’ Strategy for the future. It will take time, but everything begins with a real innovative plan that truly promotes prosperity. It also starts with meaningful symbolism – which the plan is structured around. It is preposterous but so, so, revealing that there is but one U.S. Assistant Sec. of State for the entire Americas – north and south.
President Biden can begin making amends and making up for his failure by naming a Deputy Sec. of State for Central America, South America & the Caribbean, and three Assistant Secretaries of State – one for Caribbean, one for South America and one for Central America.
If it is genuine and meaningful, that will be powerful symbolism that should never have taken until 2024. Without a new bold innovative Americas’ Strategy, it will have far less value.
Here in the real world none of this exists. There is no one better to blame than President Biden as his speech makes so obvious.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Arthur Piccolo is a professional writer and commentator and often writes about Latin America for New Americas.
