MEXICO CITY — An aggressive campaign by a Trump official to run the most important development bank in Latin America has divided the region, pitting nations that welcome the administration’s influence against those fearing he would undermine one of the few institutions that can cushion the blow of a pandemic-driven recession. Latin America and the Caribbean are facing the full force of a global pandemic, a blow that is expected to send tens of millions into extreme poverty, erase decades of growth and create widespread instability in countries already plagued by corruption and violence. Amid that crisis, Mauricio Claver-Carone, a top adviser to President Trump on Latin America, has launched an unorthodox bid to become the first U.S. official to lead the Inter-American Development Bank. The position is one of the most influential in the region, involving regular contact with heads of state to dole out about $13 billion every year, and it has always been held by a Latin American. Known as an uncompromising political operator, Mr. Claver-Carone spent years lobbying against the Cuban government before joining the National Security Council, where he has shaped the administration’s hard-line policies toward Cuba and Venezuela.

Source: New York Times August 25, 2020 14:36 UTC