How they see us: Secret Service scandal hurts Colombia

The Secret Service prostitution scandal has been “one bungle after another,” said Germán Danilo Hernández in the Cartagena, Colombia, Universal. Most of the errors were on the part of the Americans. You could argue that the first mistake was made by the agents themselves, in securing the services of prostitutes when they were supposed to be planning security for President Barack Obama’s visit to Cartagena for the Summit of the Americas. But buying sexual services is obviously “a routine matter for U.S. military men all over the world.” Just look at the sheer number of half-American children left behind wherever the military has been deployed. No, the real mistake was in failing to pay the prostitutes what they were owed. It was only the loud dispute over payment that brought the matter to the attention of Colombian and American authorities.

The unprofessionalism of the Americans “is truly shocking,” said María Isabel Rueda in El Tiempo. The Secret Service is supposed to be made up of people who cannot be compromised. The threat of assassination, a possibility for all world leaders, is ever-present for U.S. presidents—after all, four of them were killed in office, and many more had near misses. What if one of the Colombian prostitutes had been trying to steal something from one of the president’s bodyguards? Or if a Colombian mafioso was planning to blackmail them?

This scandal has revealed our worst-kept secret, said Cecilia López Montaño in El Heraldo. Colombia is a top destination for sex tourism—even in Cartagena, “the jewel of the country.” The sad fact is that wherever you have great tourist destinations juxtaposed with endemic poverty, you’re going to get rampant prostitution. In our case, tourism promoters have been all but explicit about it: Remember the campaign “Colombia is passion”? Many people thought that was a veiled reference to sex tourism.

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Well, now the veil has been lifted, said David Ávila Salcedo in El País (Cali). The U.S. airline Spirit Air, which offers cheap flights to Colombia, has already launched a new ad campaign that shows a Secret Service type, wearing sunglasses and an earpiece, smiling slyly in the foreground as scantily clad women cavort in the background. Some industry analysts freely admit that it’s easier to market Colombia as a sex destination “rather than focusing on our history, beaches, people, or cuisine.” Maybe this international embarrassment will be the kick we need to try to clean up our act.