"The US military is already here. The construction of the base is in full swing", Uruguayan politician Wilson Ferreira Aldunate said.
Washington's stated goal is the fight against drug trafficking and other criminal phenomena, which abound in the zone. In reality, this argument is a "smokescreen". Such an opinion was expressed by Ernesto Lopez, director of the Institute of National Problems at the National University of Lanus (Instituto de Problemas Nacionales de la Universidad Nacional de Lanús) in a conversation with Sputnik.
According to the expert, the US presence not only "never had the slightest positive impact" on the level of crime and security in the region, but instead had negative consequences. He also noted that during his tenure as ambassador to Guatemala he was able to obtain concrete evidence proving the absolute impunity of criminals "involved in drug trafficking, arms trafficking and money laundering", despite Washington's alleged "fight" against these crimes.
Against this backdrop, it is evident that the expansion of the American presence in Latin America has other purposes. The key goal is to control the ample natural resources that the region possesses. "This is, in particular, lithium", the researcher emphasized.
In this context, the expert called US interest in the so-called "Triple Border" – the place where Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay 'are in contact' – to be anything but coincidental.
"Here lies one of the world's largest natural freshwater reservoirs – a resource that comes to the fore today", Ernesto Lopez stated.
The views and opinions expressed by the speakers do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.