"Suitcase Scandal" is Another U.S. Foreign Policy Blunder

[Kokonoe]

http://www.alternet.org/audits/73381/

The now infamous "suitcase scandal" has deeply alienated the new Argentine government and is likely to further sully Washington's reputation in Latin America.


On December 20 the U.S. government indicted four Venezuelans and one Uruguayan for allegedly acting as foreign agents without notifying the U.S. government. The charges stem from an incident that occurred on August 4 when Guido Antonini Wilson, a Venezuelan/American with dual citizenship, was stopped at Argentine customs with about $800,000 cash in a suitcase.


The charges have deeply alienated the new Argentine government, which by all accounts was poised to increase its engagement with the United States. President Cristina Fernandez immediately dismissed them as "garbage," and her government accused Washington of using "dirty tricks" to intimidate her and attempt to drive a wedge between Argentina and Venezuela.


Not only Argentina, but most of the region, will likely see this prosecution as a gross political interference on the part of United States government in the internal affairs of its neighbors. No one will believe, nor should they, that it is merely a matter of "enforcing U.S. laws," as State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told the media.

George W. Bush ran for President as "a uniter, not a divider." He continues to unite ever more of the world - against him.
http://www.alternet.org/audits/73381/