Caring about El Salvador?

Linda Garrett of the Center for Democracy in the Americas had an article in the Huffington Post last last week on "Why Should We Care About El Salvador?"  The post was brought on by Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes was in Washington, D.C. on an historic trip to meet with President Barack Obama.

In terms of why "we" should care about El Salvador, I can't say that she persuades me.  The United States is more important to the people and government of El Salvador than El Salvador is to those of the US..  This is how things will be for the forseeable future.

I guess the saddest part is the quote that she uses to end the article:

So why should we - and President Obama - care about El Salvador? One Salvadoran analyst put it this way: "Our impoverishment and/or extinction can destabilize the entire region and this can affect you, Mr. President...For this reason we come to request your aid while we are still living."