US Latin America foreign aid budget ratchets down militarization in Cdolombia and Mexico, slightly raises aid to the rest of the region

This from the always excellent Colombia and Beyond blog:

"The drop in aid to Latin America foreseen in the Obama administration’s 2011 aid request to Congress, issued a week ago, has caused a minor stir in the region’s media. Typical is this opening sentence in Miami Herald columnist Andrés Oppenheimer’s Sunday column. "If President Barack Obama’s foreign aid budget request for 2011 is a reflection of his priorities in world affairs, it looks like the president is saying “adios” to Latin America."... When Mexico and Colombia are removed from the equation, aid to the rest of the region follows a different trend. Total aid actually increases from 2010 to 2011... Look at the aid this way, and it’s pretty clear that nobody is saying “adiós” to anybody. We need not lament that the tempo of helicopter-buying for Mexico and Colombia has slowed, and we note that economic and social assistance is holding remarkably steady..."