Latin America aid spike

President Bush's proposed budget for fiscal 2009 contains $2.7 billion in overall aid to Latin America, a 25% increase compared with fiscal 2008. Adam Isacson, a researcher at the Center for International Policy think tank in Washington, says the bad news is that most of the increase comes in the form of military and police aid and "not economic development or institution-building aid."

Mexico, for example, would receive $328 million in military aid, or nearly 10 times what it's getting for fiscal '08.  It's all part of Bush's so-called Merida Initiative, or "Plan Mexico," to help fight drug traffickers.

Central America potentially is another big winner. If Congress approves, the region would get $544 million in overall aid in fiscal '09, up from $355 million. The military part of that would be more than $86 million, or nearly six times what the region is getting the current fiscal year.

The administration's focus on combating Central American gangs such as the Mara Salvatrucha is the big reason for the increase. (The Associated Press photo at left shows hooded Mexico City police arresting drug trafficking suspects on Jan. 20.)

-- Chris Kraul in Bogota