Have we "really upped the game on human rights" or haven't we?

I sometimes feel sympathy for the Guatemalan government. Here is some of what Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said during his recent trip to Guatemala, the first for a US Secretary of Defense since 2005.

“He has a reputation for reaching out to the people,” the secretary said. “I asked him how often he gets outside of Guatemala City, and he said he goes somewhere in the country every Friday and Saturday.”

Molina “has really upped the game on human rights down there,” Hagel said of what he characterized as “a country that used to be in a lot of trouble.”

He added, “Through some courageous, visionary leadership they have really pulled themselves up” from human rights abuses.

 

@adam_wola SecDef must say nice things but wish he didn't use phrases that made him sound naive & might've endangered human rights defenders
— Mike Allison (@CentAmPolMike) April 28, 2014

Given how bad 2013 turned out and how rough 2014 has started, the Secretary of Defense should have found other ways to complement the Guatemalan president and the progress that the country has demonstrated.

But what should he and the Guatemalan people really think when at the same time the Secretary Hagel is congratulating Otto Perez Molina and the government (without lifting the military ban), the US Trade Representative Michael Forman has announced unsatisfactory progress in the Guatemalan government's effort to protect worker's rights.

United States Trade Representative Michael Froman today announced that the dispute settlement process in the 2011 labor enforcement case brought under the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) will not be terminated and will remain suspended for an additional four months as the United States seeks further progress by Guatemala on its labor obligations under the CAFTA-DR. 

Ambassador Froman recognized steps taken by Guatemala under the 2013 Enforcement Plan, but noted that the United States has not seen sufficient progress to close the case. 

“Today’s action recognizes the progress made in Guatemala to adopt reforms to improve labor law enforcement, but also recognizes that significant work remains.” Ambassador Froman said.  “We will continue to work closely with the Guatemalan Government in these next four months to review the steps taken and assess whether the reforms are leading to concrete improvements in Guatemalan workers’ rights.”

It obviously doesn't serve the interests of the US or Guatemala if the different US agencies are not on the same page. Not always the easiest but...