will fall, you know, you get to crazy places like a lifetime of treatment is preferable to a cure. now, i am not saying for a second that anyone really think that but that is where market forces but you, right now. what "after words" sunday night at 9:00 p.m. eastern. >> earlier today florida senator marco rubio spoke about us policies toward central america and mexico. he talked about the importance of having an ongoing relationship and dialogue with the countries on trade, drug trafficking, and migration flows this was hosted by the council of america's this is 35 minutes.

>> good afternoon, everyone. honored guests, who come from all around the hemisphere to be with us today. welcome to our washington conference. on behalf of our counsel on the americas i am delighted to introduce our keynote speaker. senator marco rubio and welcomed the members of his team. since 2011, senator rubio has been a strong advocate for shared prosperity and economic growth throughout the hemisphere . as a member of the senate foreign relations committee, he plays an instrumental role in developing and influencing us foreign policy across the world. he remains particularly invested in growth and is not in the western hamster. as chairman of the senate

subcommittee on western hemisphere, transnational crime, civilian security, democracy, human rights and global women's issues, senator rubio works to advance common agenda and values that the united states has with 32. it's been a leading voice on human rights and democratic principles. in cuba and in venezuela and in the hemisphere. as a venezuelan american, married to a cuban-american this is something that i particularly appreciate. senator rubio's values are rooted in his family achievements, from humble origins when his parents arrived in 1956 to earning their way into the middle class. then, this was consolidated by senator rubio's his unlikely senate victory against the most favored opponent. these experiences have shaped the courageous leadership and

steadfast determination to tackle deep rooted challenges. he leaves to his pursing on the national scene as a presidential candidate in 2016. mr. senator, we thank you for your leadership on issues of such great consequences for the united states of relations in the western hemisphere and your friendship to the council of america's. thank you very much. ladies and gentlemen, welcome your senator carmack climaxed on >> about a month ago something happened overnight and my eyesight started to deteriorate. is that normal after you 45 mark i am honored to be here with you today. i think the council of america's for inviting me to speak. it's actually a great honor to be here and this benjamin franklin room which is a hallowed place.

it's named after the father of international diplomacy and a founding father. in particular, i want to thank the chairman of the council of the american society and the president and ceo of the american society and of course erica farnsworth which will be before our committee tomorrow, i hope you get a good night sleep, we will grill you hard. it's an honor to be a part of this conference. it's an exciting time in regards to the united states and the western hemisphere because it gives us an opportunity to rethink policy. in many ways, outside of normal conventions but let me begin by saying i think there's been since the end of the cold war a lack of focus on some of the highest levels of our government in hemisphere. that's something that needs to be reversed quickly. in the end, our future, but economic insecurity, is deeply tied to our region and i say our

region because we are a member of this region. oftentimes we talk about the western hemisphere we think it's happening somewhere else but we are a part of that. where you live where i do in south florida, you are a part of it. both economically, culturally, socially and politically. it's an opportunity to be with you today. i want to take an opportunity to share some of my thoughts gathered over five, six years in the senate spending a lot of time. let me begin by saying i'm troubled by the us foreign policy in general. us foreign policy for the western hemisphere is tactically driven rather than strategically government. this is especially true throughout the world but we spent a lot of time discussing tactics, sanctions or no sanctions. diplomatic engagement or no engagement they are not furtherance of the strategy and you're wasting a lot of time. i do not pretend to have the all-knowing strategy on how to pursue the western hemisphere

but i do know that we have ideas that we intend to share with the new administration, with the people who work in this building and with my colleagues in the united states senate and with each of you here today. so while these are not necessarily universally accepted , concepts of the strategy, i do believe, they lay the groundwork for a way forward that i don't believe is either partisan, nor many cases should be controversial. let's begin by constructing the three pillars of what i hope our engagement in the region will be built on. first, this national security. the second is expanding economic prosperity. the third is defending our values. all three are equally important. they are not ordered in any particular way and they are all interrelated. it is actually possible to do any of the three without the other two. let's begin by talking about how we keep america safe in the western hemisphere. in my view, we tackle illicit flows. central america has the highest homicide rates in the world and

citizens of the region has been fleeing in droves, often here to our country. humans clean the island also at the pressures. the transit country in central america and mexico, as well as the us border. these migrant flows as well as cartel networks in the region have created a thriving business for smugglers. in addition, strengthening border security and enforcing immigration laws, we need to ensure that we are partnering with the source country. this can be, ultimately exploited by transnational groups, by terrorists who are trying to bring in illicit items , not people but items come into united states. what would a strategy that tries to counter illicit flows look like. it begins by working with mexico and with guatemala. we need to tighten their own border security. perhaps, by using our existing us canadian programs and having us law enforcement partner directly with our counterparts in mexico if they invite us to do so. working with other willing

partners in the region to enhance their border security to keep transit points as well. by using the department of defense train and equip authority. to help build capacity with our foreign partners in central and south america. by revitalizing the coast guard shipbuilding budget to ensure adequate coast guard cutter present in the caribbean. and in the eastern pacific. by providing us southern command with greater resources for partnership training. by convening regional discussions on how to dismantle the human smuggling network and in fact, it's my understanding that in june of this year the department of homeland security will host one gathering of foreign ministers from the northern triangle, as well as some other countries to discuss this and other issues of importance. by reassessing the alliance for prosperity which i support. reassessing it to assure that it's not replicating the mistakes he made in the past and other programs.

the aide must be adequately conditioned and that controls are in place to prevent waste and corruption, thumping, by the way, the recipient countries asked for as well. the possible shift of cocaine processing from columbia to central america as a result of the columbia, we should prioritize security funding from lessons learned and encouraging colombian and military training exercises with northern triangle countries. by focusing our systems on the region developing institutions keep security, including the court system. public path to your offices, police forces and a special emphasis on mexico building unsuccessful. by helping to recycle region their anti- money laundering and loss capabilities. supporting anticorruption and incidences like honduras. the cia cig, which i'm not sure has an acronym but is a. [inaudible] it sounds good to me.

by holding countries that are not cooperative like bolivia that are not living up to their international drug control obligations accountable. we need to make clear that us assistance could be affected and they do not produce and implement a narcotics plan. >> >> many external actors are in the process to gain a foothold in our hemisphere. international terrorist groups who have exploited criminal networks for purposes of raising money could use the networks one day to access u.s. territory

perpetration sadly is not immune to the rise of basis or other militant groups from trinidad we are talking about. u.s. adversaries including china iran russia have looked to exploit it anti-american sentiment in the region. the disturbing trends are a number of things we should do first make it absolutely clear the united states does not expect other countries to trade solely with us but we will not allow the enemies to establish a foothold in the right - - a foothold in the region pro-democracy leaders who seek to deepen cooperation with the united states to make clear america will not leave a vacuum in the region for others to fill. by utilizing bilateral trade agreements to increase u.s. economic engagement in the region and where possible to

assist u.s. companies to have the military sale in the region and increased the reporting of and on state actors in the region to deepen military relationships with key latin american partners and those such as argentina to take that implants seriously. by working to build the capacity of the smaller states to face those challenges in this area and to prioritize and multilateral organizations such as the american states that is the first pillar of security but that alone is not enough. the second is expanding economic prosperity it is

not a zero sum game. greater economic opportunity for our neighbors not only the migrants second to the united states in a way it is illegal or irregular but to build the economies and in the absence the tpp to make clear to reporters that china and other actors are not. and then to forge those tune that prioritize of free-market reform to tackle corruption to help those policies connect to ensure that the process does not send a message that the united states is close to. to prioritize and strengthening the pillow

limitation of non-tariff barriers but to make clear modernization is designed to be beneficial. to a celebrate the growth of private-sector with the presidential level and initiative of the economic freedom initiative to show the of partners there is not the need for that of for structured investment bank not based on foreign assistance other measures to develop the production industry fusion of the range and services particularly energy for companies to become less reliant for energy needs. in that vein partner with

the caribbean neighbors for alternative courses of energy to reduce their alliance on the regime. second aspect to help with economic growth is to fight corruption to make common cause to battle corruption in countries like guatemala guatemala, argentina, with the opposition leader and publicly speaking out of corruption as well as to american exporters. replicating the advisory council on the regional level with the anti-corruption expert with a live law and ethics like countries like argentina, brazil, mexico those interlocking 42 being engaged to reinvigorate the anti-corruption agreement and these financial tools

for national noncompliance. and then what i spend a significant amount of time on to stand up to dictators for freedom and democracy. i fear quite frankly too much time to placate house style governments to look the of the way. with the pope's of keeping help the soviet union in the 21st century we too often looked the other way with the democracy and rule of law like venezuela in nicaragua. and ecuador with presidential leadership and leadership is needed for that perception of the united states so i hope will

n.h. she j. that we can feel that pressure to follow their own modest to recognize the national assembly to speak freely and with that is one election away or anyone associative with the government. [applause] >> it is important to isolate countries that refuse to work a stretch of the to tackle these challenges and it is critical that from this building with the united states for policy in this region throughout the world

that they are reflective of believe to be robustly engaged to rescue the inter-american charter and to make clear to the partners they are expected to speak out in brazil, colombia, peru, with the neighbors are violating their rights. it is critical to reassure our allies but for far too long meany to build on the deep ties of canada, mexico canada, mexico, colombia from brazil and peru and argentina and in particular canada can play a key role of prosperity and democracy in the region with partners with great potential to

expand their impeachment within so that is wagging back to it with that organization with an admission of policy planning discussion as well as global challenges to engage more frequently in the regional partners to establish new military to military engagement to peru and argentina and expand on mexico and honduras and guatemala and then to encourage acquisition and

then this was security cooperation by reassuring the colombian people because it would be conditioned of full compliance with those chosen by those crimes committed to not go punished and those of the aid efforts have the desired impact the factors such as corruption and not undermining the support we must make clear those physical constraints that we commit to deal with security challenges the respective regretted norms in the rule of law with the

broader issues of the international forum another reads like a power point almost became one. [laughter] but wanted to get on the richter -- of the record to know that we are guided that more often than not a said this will be said with the investors that in the western hemisphere that it is not a problem we're more linked man we believe. of receipt doesn't cover that western hemisphere as much. these are of the incredible importance but that extraordinary opportunity the 21st century of shared prosperity perhaps because i

live in miami ic that firsthand i remember vividly the 1990's traveling to columbia there was a fear of someone they love losing their lives in a bombing. not because of political engagement but through much effort and sacrifice the people of colombia went from a failed state to the strongest regional partner n south america today. all that was the results of engagement. but the bulk of that was responsibility it wasn't charity. those other shipped through logistics' from the airports

and seaports to cree extraordinary economic opportunities. uc those tourists that fly into orlando and venezuela and colombia but you also see it with a decline the visitors a prosperity one of the largest resource countries on the planet losing weight was on results of exercise our diet by economic calamity and disaster. said you can see right there in bordering countries that bad governance and policy in the opportunities of good and leadership and economic engagement. this is helpful for the region and important those of us have more countries

like mexico like columbia like brazil which is going to move for the like argentina embracing the free-market would life in america be more prosperous and safer? everybody knows the answer. so my hope from our engagement that we can encourage all boils sides of the aisle to engage on the hemisphere because i think the opportunity for our nation and region and for the overall distillate extraordinary. because we have not been debating to long as of now

one there are no pre-existing conditions. if this delaware blank slate that allows us to write to that in a way with the of broader region and an thank you for that and my hope in the years to come that many of the ideas you produce have to come reality i think you for this extraordinary opportunity to work with you and with our partners in the region thank you very much. [applause] >> 8q forecast that the awful fission with collaboration in the hemisphere for have a few

minutes for q&a please raise your hand. >> thank you for your time aikido agree with you more. i am from mexico. it is one of the biggest challenges. i'm sure you know, about supply and demand so in the united states the jugs killing the mexicans coming from the united states to

have a reflection of that. >> those are valid points. i don't talk about it in his speech because i am limited you are right we should look at that as a strategy. the first is always true and that remains the case. and consumption has increased to become a problem in that regard. now we're facing the opiate crisis as part of the appropriations role for funding for programs that often begins with prescription medication and that if you are addicted

with then military intervention on saree listen. [laughter] medical intervention. but the problem is review try to work from the ground up with the problems manifesting itself people become addicted with of emergency room than you are back out to on the street multiple times a day. those who are overdosing but the problem is cutting off one substance migrates to another solid is an ongoing challenge but you a fair 2.0 that i did neglect at and that is the demand side but

as the nations become more prosperous vacancy the uptick of consumption in the hemisphere 72 look at best practices without as well. >>. >> the humanitarian disaster the unfolding of this is uncertain. with the total collapse of the humanitarian disaster. >> that is a great point. first of all, i don't mean this in a condescending way that the nature of the issue is a traditional issue you

have the government in power . but the issue is different and national assembly who basically have been canceled. to say i am cutting off funding nidal care what laws you have to put into place to will not pay use salaries nominee for e or pens or paper we public nor the national assembly. and then they said we are kicking out every news outlet so imagine on top of that you have a foreign power to take over the intelligence gathering that you don't trust your own way to do that.

with the national assembly is very simple. under hugo chavez they are supposed to have elections this year. and then to be a presidential recall. to follow your own laws. and that is ignored so i have been very pleased to cv -- nations, one of the most uplifting experience is to see mexico or argentina or others will approve our columbia and to build a humanitarian crisis to help that transition.

what that means is to help the people in venezuela to be successful after an election or a transition and by the way that is what i wanted. i perimeter did not to be any other way but that is wiper it. but even if that letter of poor those challenges they face are extraordinary and of those and not confronted government will create further problems so as soon as we are allowed to provide that to have that to help the allies in the region it already faces significant challenges with all the other challenges faced by the cartel's in the area they have decided to pull out with migratory pressure.

so we offer that bill to authorize the money to provide the aid necessary america is voices necessary to with those current demonstration i will say i could take inventory and i have received multipolar parts while always asking about venezuela that is good news beyond the only hot -- the warehouse and to the state department to do something to get uh what it deserves america is voices

important ally sea is a uh nation to stand up to have a greater impact and of that will continue. one of the best ways to create stronger ties with the allies in the region is to start doing things together with the projects of joint interest so democracy in venezuela should be one of them. [applause] thank you. [inaudible conversations]