not really a good comparison.

I have spent considerable time working across South & Central America and the Caribbean. Even in recent years I have seen more and more encroachment of U.S. (and other international) commercial interests into many areas. Yes, it does help bring more prosperity and opportunity for the people there. But it also very quickly begins to suck a lot of the "soul" out many areas - making the cultures much too similar from place to place.

It bothered me a lot to see it. It has been really disappointing to me in many ways. Drive down a main street of San Pedro Sula, Honduras and it feels like driving down a really crummy part of a decent sized U.S. city...Burger King, Taco Bell, Tony Roma's...yuck.

So, I should not blame the "U.S." so much as commercial enterprise looking to take advantage of a new market and revenue with little-to-no regard for the people and culture there.