Washington's bursts of in-terest in Latin America rarely last long. Spanish-speaking George W. Bush came into office billing himself as the region's mejor amigo in the new "Century of the Americas." Yet when it came to Latin America's economic travails, Bush adhered to the principle of tough love: no more bailouts. South Americans, however, weren't prepared for the jibe they got from Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill just before a visit to the continent. Even as a parade of U.S. CEOS stood accused of corruption, O'Neill remarked that Washington shouldn't help save the region's debt-choked economies because the money might wind up in Swiss bank accounts. His quip sent Brazil's faltering currency, the real, into free fall.
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机译：华盛顿对拉丁美洲的兴趣很少持续很长时间。讲西班牙语的乔治·W·布什（George W. Bush）上任以来，自称是新的“美洲世纪”中该地区最重要的朋友。然而，当谈到拉丁美洲的经济困境时，布什坚持坚强的爱情原则：不再提供任何援助。然而，南美人并没有为他们在访问非洲之前从财政部长保罗·奥尼尔那里得到的吉布而做准备。甚至在美国CEOS游行被指控腐败的同时，奥尼尔指出，华盛顿不应该帮助拯救该地区受债务困扰的经济体，因为这笔钱可能会流到瑞士的银行账户中。他的讽刺使巴西步履蹒跚的货币雷亚尔自由落体。
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