Rubio Is Bad News for the U.S. and Latin America

When Rubio turns his gaze to the rest of the hemisphere, he sees countries that he wants to punish or lecture.

Mary Ellen Klas tries to make the case for why Rubio might do some good at the State Department:

But if Rubio can navigate a chaotic Trump administration and its role on the global stage, he could be a source of generational change in the Americas. By elevating US relations in Latin America, Rubio could bring much-needed attention to a region that has been overlooked by US presidents since the onset of the Cold War.

If Rubio’s record on Latin America is proof of anything, it is that having the U.S. pay more attention to a region can often be bad news for that region. It is doubtful that Rubio can be a source of “generational change” when his views of the region are stuck in the past. Most other countries in our hemisphere are not going to respond well to Rubio’s hectoring in any language.