MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Richardson says Marshall Plan needed for Latin America

Richardson said she was worried that Chinese developments in the region could swiftly become military assets

US Southern Command Chief General Laura Richardson called on leaders in her country to devise some “Marshall Plan” in Latin America replicating the one enacted in post-World War II Europe, which is highly necessary to neutralize Chinese and Russian influence in the region.

During her appearance at the Aspen Security Forum last week, Richardson recalled that not all countries recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving them vulnerable to help from Moscow and Beijing, who are “taking advantage.”

The Aspen Security Forum is the main conference on national security and foreign policy of the United States.

Since the US would not be able to match China's invitation to join the Belt and Road initiative, “we need a 'Marshall Plan' for the region or an economic recovery act like the one in 1948, but in 2024, 2025,” explained the military expert in strategic matters, who was referring to the aid program for post-war Europe developed by then-Secretary of State George Marshall and launched in 1948.

The initiative also served Washington's interests by leading to the creation of jobs on the domestic front by ensuring a huge flow of US goods to European markets.

During the Cold War, it helped to combat the popularity of socialist ideas in European countries and the estrangement with the Soviet Union, dividing Europe into two blocs.

Richardson insisted that Latin American leaders “don't see what the US team is bringing” them. “Even though foreign direct investment is really high, they don't see it,” she stressed. “All they see are the Chinese cranes and all the development and the Belt and Road Initiative projects.”

The four-star general also said she was concerned about Beijing using those projects for strategic military advantage. “If it's to do good in the hemisphere, then I'm all for it. But it makes me a little suspicious when there's a lot of investment in critical infrastructure - a lot in critical infrastructure in countries in this region - deepwater ports, 5G, cybersecurity, energy, space...,” she elaborated.

“I'm concerned about the dual-use nature of that. These are state-owned enterprises of a communist government, and I'm concerned that they will quickly turn into military applications,” she also noted.

The Marshall Plan offered US$ 13.3 billion to 16 countries in Europe, thus intertwining their economies with that of the US.