[onlooker]

Our interfering and intervening in South & Central America has created the situation of : Blowback is a term originating from within the American Intelligence community, denoting the unintended consequences, unwanted side-effects, or suffered repercussions of a covert operation that fall back on those responsible for the aforementioned operations.

So, all this migration and criminal activity from there is a result of highly dysfunctional societies over there. Made so to a large degree by our covert and overt policies there.

[onlooker]

Related to Blowback:
" Many developing nations are in debt and poverty partly due to the policies of international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

Their programs have been heavily criticized for many years for resulting in poverty. In addition, for developing or third world countries, there has been an increased dependency on the richer nations. This is despite the IMF and World Bank’s claim that they will reduce poverty.

Following an ideology known as neoliberalism, and spearheaded by these and other institutions known as the Washington Consensus (for being based in Washington D.C.), Structural Adjustment Policies (SAPs) have been imposed to ensure debt repayment and economic restructuring. But the way it has happened has required poor countries to reduce spending on things like health, education and development, while debt repayment and other economic policies have been made the priority. In effect, the IMF and World Bank have demanded that poor nations lower the standard of living of their people."

http://www.globalissues.org/article/3/s ... of-poverty

[Ibon]

So, all this migration and criminal activity from there is a result of highly dysfunctional societies over there. Made so to a large degree by our covert and overt policies there.

I do not agree with this. Just like in the US the crime statistics in Latin America are focused on certain hot spots in certain neighborhoods in certain urban areas. Drug related and gang related within a very small area. Why is tourism surging in many latin american countries if they have societies that are so dysfunctional as you suggest.

In reality, the vast majority of Latin America have well functioning societies, families are still close nit, communities are still functioning with cottage industries that are thriving.

This all came home to me years ago when I was director of Latin America for a medical device manufacturer and I organized a Latin America sales meeting in Chicago for all the representatives throughout Latin America. Do you guys want to know what I heard from several of our latin american reps in planning for the meeting.. "Is it safe to come?" The news they receive from the US down in Peru and Chile and Venezuela back then was all the gang violence and murder in America.

So much of what we perceive as violence is bullshit from news. I don't dispute the statistics about Latin American crime but it is not ubiquitous. It is in certain hotspots. Why else do you explain all the tourism booming in countries like Colombia.

https://data.colombiareports.com/colomb ... tatistics/


Since the signing of the historic Peace Agreement in November 2016, that ended a half century long conflict, tourism has played an important role in boosting Colombia’s GDP growth. Many regions, once off limits to visitors due to security issues, are now beginning to receive travelers looking for off-the-beaten-track adventures. From surfing on the Pacific Coast to horseback riding across the grassy plains of Los Llanos and observing Caño Cristales, Colombia’s most colorful river in the department of Meta, the country has become a much sought after holiday destination.

“This permanent growth confirms that we are on the radar of world tourism. It also ratifies that this sector is one of the most benefited with the ending of the conflict and that said Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, María Lorena Gutiérrez.

As the second most biodiverse country in the world, Colombia’s fauna and flora are also a major attraction. One such activity is birdwatching in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the world’s highest coastal mountain range and incredibly rich in endemic bird species. An article recently published in The Economist highlighted that “with more bird species than anywhere else in the world, Colombia is ornithological heaven.”

[onlooker]

Yes, that probably is mostly true Ibon. Now, curious as to how you see the inequality there? Is it mostly due to intentional policies of the colonial powers/ruling elite and then US interference or other reasons?

[Ibon]

Yes, that probably is mostly true Ibon. Now, curious as to how you see the inequality there? Is it mostly due to intentional policies of the colonial powers/ruling elite and then US interference or other reasons?

When spanish colonialism ended and independence was achieved the model that followed in almost all countries in Latin America is that an oligarchy was formed among the nationals that formed a new elite to replace the spanish one that exited. This persists to the present day in many countries where domestic industries are monopolies whether it is cement factories or beer brewers.

When the IMF or foreign banks or multi national corporations go to Latin America to extract resources or build out industries who do you think they partner with? The established oligarchies who have sent their children to business school in the west and who speak perfect english.

This is not a story of US interference so much as the marriage of elites globally.

As has often been said, a billionaire Chinese has more in common with his billionaire colleague in Europe or North America than he has with the underclass of his own country.

There is a web of elites globally that control the economy not because this is some cabal and conspiracy. It is a product of elites with mutual interests exploiting the underclass in their respective countries.

The USA is a 3rd world country today by the way,

[onlooker]

Very true Ibon

[Newfie]

I don’t recall this study being cited before. Immigrant population is commonly believed to be about 11 million. This new study puts it a 17 to 27, most likely 22.

Generally accepted estimates put the population of undocumented immigrants in the United States at approximately 11.3 million. A new study, using mathematical modeling on a range of demographic and immigration operations data, suggests that the actual undocumented immigrant population may be more than 22 million.

https://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/ ... -estimates

[careinke]

I don’t recall this study being cited before. Immigrant population is commonly believed to be about 11 million. This new study puts it a 17 to 27, most likely 22.

Generally accepted estimates put the population of undocumented immigrants in the United States at approximately 11.3 million. A new study, using mathematical modeling on a range of demographic and immigration operations data, suggests that the actual undocumented immigrant population may be more than 22 million.

https://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/ ... -estimates

Hmmm... Maybe we should do a count or something to find out how many they really are...

[Cog]

Can't do a count since a count would be racist. Now that I think about it, pretty much everything is racist in one fashion or the other. According to the Jihad Squad.