COMMENTARY If a Secretary of State Marco Rubio hopes to rally Latin America against left-wing despots like Nicol谩s Maduro by exalting right-wing despots like Nayib Bukele, it could backfire.
I can find no video of Argentine President Javier Milei dancing tango. But there are of the Populist-of-the-Pampas doing the 鈥淵MCA鈥� shuffle at Mar-a-Lago last week 鈥� when he became the first world leader to meet with President-elect Donald Trump after his Nov. 5 victory.
As I pointed out recently, Milei鈥檚 own right-wing election win last year was a MAGA morale boost for Trump as he engineered his political comeback. That鈥檚 why Milei is now Trump鈥檚 new BFF in Latin America 鈥� and the point man for a conservative hemispheric alliance already being forged by Trump鈥檚 Secretary of State nominee, Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
It鈥檚 an evolving bloc that Latin American exiles in Miami, especially, are hoping will bring down the region鈥檚 鈥渢roika of tyranny鈥� 鈥� the leftist dictatorships in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua 鈥� and stamp out all the socialismo, real or imagined, they see from Tijuana to Tierra del Fuego.
But if Rubio is really going to rally Latin America around a new Trump Administration鈥檚 mission to dislodge left-wing authoritarianism, he鈥檚 going to first have to convince the region that he鈥檚 put aside his double standard when it comes to its right-wing authoritarianism.
READ MORE: Rubio harps on U.S. democracy 鈥� after hugging Salvadoran autocracy
Meaning, the Cuban-American Senator from Miami will have to demonstrate less Rubiocrisy on Latin America.
That鈥檚 the brand of hypocrisy that鈥檚 led him, for example, to demonize President Barack Obama for meeting with Cuban President Ra煤l Castro in Havana in 2016, while cheerleading then President Trump鈥檚 gushing bromance with then Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a reactionary ogre who urged them to stage a coup to overturn the 2022 election he lost.
Rubio instead will have to display more of what let鈥檚 call Marconsistency on Latin America.
Would Latin America policy consistency 鈥� Marconsistency 鈥� or hypocrisy 鈥� Rubiocrisy 鈥� be the norm under Trump's choice for Secretary of State?
We鈥檝e seen encouraging glimpses of that consistency 鈥� most recently when Rubio back in December that warned Guatemala鈥檚 ultra-corrupt right-wing elites not to block the inauguration of reformist, left-of-center President Bernardo Ar茅valo after he defeated that cabal鈥檚 candidate.
Still, the big question is whether Rubiocracy or Marconsistency would be the norm in Latin America if he becomes Secretary of State.
And that matters mucho, because we鈥檝e already seen over and over in the past two centuries how not just Rubio鈥檚 but America鈥檚 hemispheric policy inconsistencies undermine its efforts to promote capitalist democracy and democratic capitalism south of its border.
Cuba is the most glaring example.
"Cool dictator"
It oughta be a no-brainer to oppose la revoluci贸n鈥檚 hoary, iron-fisted totalitarianism. But many if not most Latin Americans still apologize for it, because it represents David standing up to Washington鈥檚 Goliath.
Cuba鈥檚 managed to get away with that because Washington can鈥檛 quite quit its own habit of giving passes to Latin American thugs as long as they鈥檙e simpatico with Washington, or at least the Washington right.
Rubiocritical case in point: El Salvador.
That small Central American nation is run today by the self-proclaimed 鈥渃ool dictator,鈥� Nayib Bukele, a right-winger no matter what he says to the contrary. He's shut down institutional democracy 鈥� and trashed the constitution to win an illegitimate second term this year. Meanwhile, he's tossed almost 2% of his population behind bars, the world's highest incarceration rate.
But because Bukele has also shut down much of the gang violence that was ravaging El Salvador, he's the darling of American conservatives.
Believe me, no one, least of all myself, is unhappy to see vicious Salvadoran gangs like MS-13 neutralized. And I realize Bukele enjoys widespread popularity in Latin America for it.
Even so, that doesn鈥檛 make Bukele 鈥� as Rubio has astonishingly hailed him 鈥� one of the model 鈥渄emocratic leaders in our hemisphere,鈥� someone the U.S. needs to buddy up to.
And if Rubio believes exalting the likes of Bukele will convince Latin America to turn the screws on the region鈥檚 leftist despots 鈥� it could backfire.
In fact, it already backfired during Trump鈥檚 first presidency, when the hemispheric Lima Group backed off what looked like robust support of U.S. efforts to pressure (if not push out) Venezuela鈥檚 socialist dictator Nicol谩s Maduro.
As time went by, Trump鈥檚 adulation of right-wing authoritarians like Bolsonaro and Guatemala鈥檚 then President Jimmy Morales helped erode that regional resolve.
Because consistency sells better than hypocrisy.
And Marconsistency will sell better than Rubiocrisy.
Want more stories about the Americas? Sign up for SA国际传谋鈥檚 Americas Report newsletter and we鈥檒l send a round up of the most important news and stories from the hemisphere, every Thursday morning.
