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        {"code":"25374","sect":"Central America","sect_slug":"central-america","hits":"509","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/en\/202103\/centroamerica\/25374","link_edit":"","name":"Obama\u2019s Cuba Negotiator To Lead Biden Central America Policy","slug":"obama-rsquo-s-cuba-negotiator-to-lead-biden-central-america-policy","info":"As Biden\u2019s special envoy to the northern triangle of Central America, the administration turned to Ricardo Z\u00fa\u00f1iga, the man who, in 2014, both negotiated the thawing of relations with Cuba and orchestrated Obama\u2019s response to the unaccompanied minor crisis. Z\u00fa\u00f1iga, born in Honduras, is behind some of the Biden administration\u2019s stern messaging in recent months aimed at the governments of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.    ( Leer en espa\u00f1ol )","mtag":"Politics","noun":{"html":"Jos\u00e9 Luis Sanz \/ Washington","data":{"jose-luis-sanz-washington":{"sort":"","slug":"jose-luis-sanz-washington","path":"jose_luis_sanz_washington","name":"Jos\u00e9 Luis Sanz \/ Washington","edge":"0","init":"0"}}},"view":"509","pict":{"cms-image-000035604-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"35604","name":"cms-image-000035604.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000035604.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000035604.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000035604-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;President Obama meets with President Raul Castro. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EPresident Obama meets with President Raul Castro. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000035605-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"35605","name":"cms-image-000035605.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000035605.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000035605.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000035605-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;The President talks backstage with Ricardo Zuniga, the National Security Council's Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EThe President talks backstage with Ricardo Zuniga, the National Security Council's Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000035606-jpg":{"feat":"1","sort":"35606","name":"cms-image-000035606.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000035606.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000035606.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000035606-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;President Barack Obama speaks with Ricardo Z\u00fa\u00f1iga, senior advisor for western hemisphere affairs on the National Security Council, in the Oval Office after the president's Cuba announcement and the release of U.S. citizen Alan Gross on December 17, 2014. National security advisor Susan E. Rice looks on from the doorway. Photo: Pete Souza\/White House&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EPresident Barack Obama speaks with Ricardo Z\u00fa\u00f1iga, senior advisor for western hemisphere affairs on the National Security Council, in the Oval Office after the president's Cuba announcement and the release of U.S. citizen Alan Gross on December 17, 2014. National security advisor Susan E. Rice looks on from the doorway. Photo: Pete Souza\/White House\u003C\/p\u003E"}},"pict_main__sort":35606,"date":{"live":"2021\/04\/07"},"data_post_dateLive_YY":"2021","data_post_dateLive_MM":"04","data_post_dateLive_DD":"07","text":"\u003Cp id=\"docs-internal-guid-c51f95fc-7fff-f59e-efc2-29c96c65e238\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003EAs 2014 wound down, Ricardo Z\u00fa\u00f1iga stepped briefly into the limelight. At 44 years old, he had spent two decades as a career diplomat and two years on the National Security Council as Obama\u2019s chief advisor for Latin America. He wasn\u2019t flying below the public radar, but neither was he stealing headlines \u2014 until news broke that the mild-mannered man with a round, bespectacled face had, for a year and a half, been secretly negotiating with Cuba for the release of USAID contractor Alan Gross and for reopening diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EFor weeks he was the star of dozens of newspaper and television stories that wove a narrative of clandestine meetings in Canada and The Vatican, secret messages, and tipping points \u2014 Gross was in poor health and threatened to kill himself at one point during his wait \u2014 before the culmination of the historic deal. Eight months later, in August of 2015, as Secretary of State John Kerry hoisted the flag at the U.S. embassy near the dock, Z\u00fa\u00f1iga had slipped away. In July, he took a post as consul general in Sao Paulo, Brazil.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cI don\u2019t doubt that Ricardo appreciated some of the praise he received after the announcement of the opening of Cuba relations. He worked very hard to achieve it,\u201d said Nick Zimmerman, who worked for him in the White House and now runs international forums for Columbia University. \u201cBut I don\u2019t think he enjoyed it too much. He\u2019s spent most of his career away from the cameras.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EZ\u00fa\u00f1iga has reentered the spotlight. On Monday, March 22, Secretary of State Antony Blinken \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecBlinken\/status\/1374022871551447047?s=20\"\u003Enamed him special envoy\u003C\/a\u003E to the northern triangle of Central America, adding that his focus will at times involve Mexico. He will be an integral part, if not the mastermind, of the design and implementation of Biden\u2019s promised Central America strategy which, on paper, allots $4 billion in foreign aid with a long-term focus. The State Department says it is looking to foster the development of democratic institutions in the isthmus based on the principle of cooperation, and not only as a solution to curb the flows of migration.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EZ\u00fa\u00f1iga will walk a tightrope, not only in responding to the corruption and authoritarianism of Central American governments, but with the Republican blockade in the U.S. Senate. The fact that his workload will, at least initially, include Mexico instead of Daniel Ortega\u2019s Nicaragua indicates how tension within the administration about the Central Americans arriving to the US-Mexico border is marking priorities and will frame his work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=2000&ImageHeight=1334&ImageId=35604 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"President Obama meets with President Raul Castro. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E President Obama meets with President Raul Castro. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp id=\"docs-internal-guid-78a619de-7fff-b8ba-1460-cce62137da54\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003EZ\u00fa\u00f1iga, known for his discretion, courtesy, and efficiency, was born in Tegucigalpa in 1970 to a mother from the United States and a Honduran father. He is fully bilingual, married with two daughters, and one of his grandfathers was Ricardo Z\u00fa\u00f1iga Augustinus, a veteran politician from the National Party who was close to the military juntas and ran for president of Honduras in the 80s.\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThose who have worked under him note his willingness to listen and ability to situate problems in their broader context. \u201cRicardo is one of the most talented diplomats in the foreign service,\u201d Zimmerman said. \u201cNot only is he incredibly smart, but it\u2019s also rare to find a leader like him with the high-level strategic thinking and, at the same time, who clearly understands the small steps needed to get a result.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EHe claims Z\u00fa\u00f1iga\u2019s diplomatic acumen to have come from a career spent working at all levels of the federal government. After graduating from the University of Virginia at 24, his first job was as a consular official in Matamoros along the U.S.-Mexico border. He then passed through the embassies in Brasilia and Madrid and the Interests Section in Havana before returning to Washington.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EAnnie Pforzheimer, a retired diplomat with 30 years of experience including 2 years as political attach\u00e9 in El Salvador from 2003 to 2005, agrees with Zimmerman. \u201cRicardo\u2019s appointment is a stroke of good fortune for Central America,\u201d she said. \u201cHe cares about the region and knows the U.S. government better than anyone \u2014 not only how it works, but also those currently running it. \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Cartajuanero\/status\/1374039610125352966?s=20\"\u003EThey have complete trust in him\u003C\/a\u003E.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe White House trusts Z\u00fa\u00f1iga for his trajectory and because his other major assignment as senior advisor to the second Obama administration was designing the \u2018Strategic Alliance for Prosperity in the Northern Triangle of Central America,\u2019 the U.S. response to the 2014 unaccompanied minor crisis.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBiden personally led that effort alongside Roberta Jacobson, then undersecretary of state for the western hemisphere and now Biden\u2019s coordinator for the southern border on the National Security Council. Z\u00fa\u00f1iga traveled with the two throughout the region and \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/obamawhitehouse.archives.gov\/photos-and-video\/video\/2015\/03\/02\/previewing-vice-presidents-trip-guatemala\"\u003Emet with the presidents of Central America\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EA member of that team, Pforzheimer was responsible for elaborating a detailed strategy for the region and supervising its implementation. She claims the crisis of unaccompanied minors only hastened a process that Z\u00fa\u00f1iga had already begun: \u201cWhen I joined the team in August of 2014, Ricardo was already in the process of designing a new strategy for Central America,\u201d she said. \u201cThe emergency only accelerated moves already on the table.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EZ\u00fa\u00f1iga and Biden were already in agreement, she says, on the need to compel Central American countries, in exchange for aid, to make commitments to fight corruption, a principle which \u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202101\/internacionales\/25187\/%E2%80%9CEl-l%C3%ADder-que-no-est%C3%A9-listo-para-combatir-la-corrupci%C3%B3n-no-ser%C3%A1-un-aliado-para-Estados-Unidos%E2%80%9D.htm\"\u003EBiden has emphasized\u003C\/a\u003E since taking office as president. That project, and the scant results to show for it, particularly after years in which the Trump administration reduced the scope of its policy in the region to absurd \u2018safe third-country\u2019 asylum agreements, have led Biden to double down on his strategy and convert Central America into a foreign policy priority.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EArchitect of a New Strategy\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EA person who has worked closely alongside Z\u00fa\u00f1iga claims that, after the Cuba negotiations, Z\u00fa\u00f1iga accepted the post in Brazil to momentarily escape the clamor of Washington. But Trump\u2019s drastic rolling-back of the policies he had worked on pushed him into a sort of self-exile in which he dedicated himself to research with the Wilson Center, a prestigious think tank.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cPolarization in the United States and Trump\u2019s politicization of the State Department affected not only him, but many career officials,\u201d opined Zimerman, who worked on Obama\u2019s 2008 presidential campaign and was a political appointment to the administration. \u201cI never found out whether Ricardo is a Democrat or Republican,\u201d he said. Pforzheimer agrees that Z\u00fa\u00f1iga has always kept his distance from partisan politics: \u201cThat\u2019s the only way to have a three-decade diplomatic career across different administrations,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EEven so, various sources close to Z\u00fa\u00f1iga say that if Trump had been reelected, he would have closed the door on his diplomatic career in leaving the State Department for good.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=2000&ImageHeight=1334&ImageId=35605 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"The President talks backstage with Ricardo Zuniga, the National Security Council's Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E The President talks backstage with Ricardo Zuniga, the National Security Council's Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp id=\"docs-internal-guid-4f8a9116-7fff-6a40-76a5-b59ac997f613\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBiden\u2019s win, on the other hand, had the opposite effect. Z\u00fa\u00f1iga has formed a sort of trident with the current NSC director for the western hemisphere and Biden\u2019s chief Latin America advisor, Juan S. Gonz\u00e1lez, and Dan Restrepo, who previously held Z\u00fa\u00f1iga\u2019s current position and has now become an \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/focostv.com\/los-mecanismos-de-anticorrupcion-en-centroamerica-son-muy-importantes-para-ee-uu\/\"\u003Eunofficial spokesperson for the White House\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ETwo weeks ago, Restrepo published an article in Foreign Affairs, \u201c\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.foreignaffairs.com\/articles\/central-america-caribbean\/2021-03-05\/central-americans-are-fleeing-bad-governments\"\u003ECentral Americans Are Fleeing Bad Governments\u003C\/a\u003E,\u201d in which he again called out the corruption of the governments of northern Central America. From his personal Twitter account, Juan S. Gonz\u00e1lez reposted the article, saying: \u201c\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Cartajuanero\/status\/1367995960186572808?s=20\"\u003EListen to the man\u003C\/a\u003E.\u201d A source close to Z\u00fa\u00f1iga says Restrepo\u2019s article leaned largely on the voice of the current special envoy, that the text in fact passed through Z\u00fa\u00f1iga\u2019s desk before publication.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EZ\u00fa\u00f1iga has left his mark on much of the White House messaging in recent months toward Central America. As a researcher at the Wilson Center, he stayed in contact with the Biden team since November and met with officials from USAID, and the State Department, including its Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). Since December, he knew his appointment with the incoming administration was only months out.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn those meetings, Z\u00fa\u00f1iga shared his viewpoints on foreign policy, especially the conclusions of a 188-page December report on U.S. aid to northern Central America from 2014 to 2019, the fruit of his 18 months of leave from the State Department. The report, which identifies errors in past and recent U.S. policy toward Central America, has become a rough draft for Biden\u2019s new strategy toward the isthmus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EEric Olson, consultant and former deputy director of the Wilson Center\u2019s Latin America program who led the investigation alongside Z\u00fa\u00f1iga, ties the report directly to the Biden administration\u2019s dealings with the presidents of Central America: \u201cSeven years ago, you saw Biden talking with Juan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez, Mauricio Funes, or Otto P\u00e9rez Molina as if they were partners in the democratic project in the region,\u201d he began. \u201cNow we know they were not. In the report, Ricardo and I conclude that the system has been intentionally blown up from the inside by a political class uncommitted to democracy and economic elites defending their own interests. That wasn\u2019t the view at the time and we\u2019re reaping the consequences. That\u2019s why Juan Gonz\u00e1lez and Restrepo are so firm, and haven\u2019t yet greeted Bukele or Juan Orlando.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EZ\u00fa\u00f1iga and Olson\u2019s study says the United States should prioritize regional governments\u2019 respect for democratic norms over other indicators of success, recommends that aid agencies focus on fewer objectives with clear indicators, and emphasizes that the United States must support local actors from civil society and state actors defending transparency and fighting against corruption.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThese are all ideas recently on the lips of senior White House officials.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EAnother conclusion of the study is that U.S. strategy toward Central America should have a foundation of bipartisan support and long-term commitment. \u201cThe United States cannot relate to Central America only in its emergencies, as has been the case since Reagan,\u201d summarized Olson. \u201cWe\u2019ve treated the region as a constant stream of temporary crises.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe new special envoy will take office amid another crisis. Pressure from Republicans and the press for Biden to immediately tend to the relative increase of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border in recent weeks has complicated Biden\u2019s long-term strategy and led the administration, from Sunday, March 21 to the next day, to make the desperate move of placing 17,118 ads on radio stations in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Brazil in Spanish, Portuguese, and six Indigenous languages, all focusing on one message: \u201cThe border is closed.\u201d\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cRicardo won\u2019t be able to duck the crisis of the moment, of migration,\u201d Olson admits, \u201cbut his ultimate goal in his new role is the creation of a long-term policy toward Central America.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EWhile Z\u00fa\u00f1iga will have an open line of communication with Juan S. Gonz\u00e1lez, the fact that his appointment came from the State Department rather than Biden signals that the regional strategy will be maintained, in theory, regardless of who occupies the White House. For that very reason, according to two sources, and to avoid experiences like that of former ambassador Ron Johnson, whose personal amity with Bukele became entangled with government policy, Biden plans to send career ambassadors to El Salvador and Honduras.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cRicardo will factor into that decision,\u201d said someone who has worked with him in recent months. \u201cHe already has a few names in mind.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOn the Hunt for Allies\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cStrengthening governance requires allies,\u201d Z\u00fa\u00f1iga said on February 17 during an event organized by the Inter-American Dialogue on Biden policy toward Central America. In addition to coordinating efforts with U.S. embassies in the region, his work will entail finding those allies, despite the the White House\u2019s clear statements in the past two months, in line with Olson, that relations with the governments of northern Central America will come with conditions. Given the discord with the region\u2019s sitting presidents, Z\u00fa\u00f1iga plans to work with other actors.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe will also take charge in earmarking and supervising the distribution of the $4 billion that Biden has promised to the region. In a March 10 press conference, Roberta Jacobson stated that \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.prensalibre.com\/ahora\/internacional\/ee-uu-dice-que-ni-un-dolar-de-la-ayuda-a-centroamerica-ira-a-sus-presidentes\/\"\u003Enot a dollar in aid would go to the presidents of Central America\u003C\/a\u003E, though she didn\u2019t clarify whether that precluded the funding of state agencies, advisement, or training. Civil society will be the \u201cpreferred partner\u201d in implementing regional policy, said Z\u00fa\u00f1iga, \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202101\/internacionales\/25184\/%E2%80%9CA-Leader-Unready-to-Go-after-Corruption-Won't-be-a-US-Ally%E2%80%9D.htm\"\u003Ea point that Juan S. Gonz\u00e1lez has also made\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cThere are people fighting for democratic institutions and for citizens\u2019 rights,\u201d said Z\u00fa\u00f1iga. \u201cOur role in the international community is to back them, not replace them.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=2000&ImageHeight=1333&ImageId=35606 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"President Barack Obama speaks with Ricardo Z\u00fa\u00f1iga, senior advisor for western hemisphere affairs on the National Security Council, in the Oval Office after the president's Cuba announcement and the release of U.S. citizen Alan Gross on December 17, 2014. National security advisor Susan E. Rice looks on from the doorway. Photo: Pete Souza\/White House\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E President Barack Obama speaks with Ricardo Z\u00fa\u00f1iga, senior advisor for western hemisphere affairs on the National Security Council, in the Oval Office after the president's Cuba announcement and the release of U.S. citizen Alan Gross on December 17, 2014. National security advisor Susan E. Rice looks on from the doorway. Photo: Pete Souza\/White House \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp id=\"docs-internal-guid-3a978332-7fff-e8cf-27b8-831f183a50da\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe new special envoy has nurtured lines of communication with the leading Central American human rights organizations in Washington, as well as some civil society organizations and private sector representatives in each of the countries.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn another forum, weeks later, Z\u00fa\u00f1iga stated that \u201c\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.thedialogue.org\/analysis\/anatomy-of-ms-13-policy-implications-for-el-salvador-and-the-us\/\"\u003Eone of the lessons learned\u003C\/a\u003E\u201d is that the United States is \u201cvery ill-equipped to achieve large-scale social change.\u201d \u201cYou have to work in the context you\u2019re given\u2026and give those looking to create change the chance to be successful,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EPerhaps for that reason, despite the distrust that the Biden administration has shown in the current government of El Salvador, people close to Z\u00fa\u00f1iga claim he believes the United States should be initially open to the possibility of good governance under Nayib Bukele while maintaining the weary tone it has adopted since January. \u201cBiden seems like a cool, great person,\u201d said Annie Phorzheimer, \u201cbut he can also tap into his tough side. The same goes for Ricardo: everyone I know works well with him, but he has no problem making firm decisions.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe State Department has thus far declined to specify Z\u00fa\u00f1iga\u2019s role in the drafting of the long-awaited Engel List, which will impose sanctions on public and private officials in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala convicted or implicated in corruption or the weakening of democratic institutions, with the broad room for interpretation and political football of the latter. What those who have spoken with him do make clear is that he will closely follow El Salvador\u2019s ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, which will need the goodwill of the United States to get off the ground. Washington \u2014 that is, Z\u00fa\u00f1iga \u2014 wants the accord with the Bukele administration to include conditions of transparency and respect for the separation of powers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThat Gonz\u00e1lez and Z\u00fa\u00f1iga\u2019s first trips to the region were to Guatemala is a show of pragmatism. Biden currently\u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202101\/360grados\/25177\/La-llegada-de-Biden-atemoriza-a-las-%C3%A9lites-de-Guatemala---Por-%C3%81lvaro-Montenegro.htm?utm_source=DB+El+Faro+_English&utm_campaign=891531d7f5-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_04_22_01_08_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3ec9190c89-891531d7f5-\"\u003E sees more room to maneuver with the Giammattei administration\u003C\/a\u003E, and hopes to use it as a model of engagement with neighboring governments. On the negotiating table will be the U.S. demand that Guatemala offer minimal guarantees to respect institutionality, especially regarding the independence of the Constitutional Court and the anti-corruption prosecutor, as well as the elaboration of strategies to curb migration not only from Honduras, but also from northern Guatemala.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EWhile Juan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez remains at the helm of Honduras, it\u2019s unlikely that Z\u00fa\u00f1iga will look to cement similar relations with that government, especially given the conviction of Geovanny Fuentes on Monday, March 22 for drug trafficking, a case in which Hern\u00e1ndez was implicated as a co-conspirator and as having received bribes before and after taking office as president. The public statements of various officials including Dan Restrepo suggest that the United States will wait to establish dialogue with whomever wins the November presidential election and takes office in January 2022.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cAlmost without exception, conditions have worsened in the region since 2014, especially in the realm of governance,\u201d admitted Z\u00fa\u00f1iga at the Inter-American Dialogue event. \u201cIn too many cases, we see trends toward authoritarianism and state capture.\u201d The remarks reveal a certain acknowledgment of the failure of decades of United States policy in the region.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EZ\u00fa\u00f1iga says his research with the Wilson Center \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.wilsoncenter.org\/event\/us-foreign-aid-northern-triangle-2014-2019-promoting-success-learning-past\"\u003Ewas a \u201cstrange privilege\u201d\u003C\/a\u003E in that it is unusual for an official to have the chance to critically and carefully examine policy that they were an integral part of creating.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EEven more unusual is for the person who designed and implemented the first steps of the U.S. strategy toward Central America to have a second chance some six years later. After weighing his own mistakes, the man who dethawed relations with Cuba is turning his sights to Central America.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E*Translated by Roman Gressier\u003C\/p\u003E"}

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