By Andres Carrizosa *
Recently, the U.S. ambassador to Paraguay, Marc Ostfield, shocked the Paraguayan political establishment by publicly designating three Paraguayan citizens as “significantly corrupt.” Among those accused were Horacio Cartes—Paraguay’s former president who also owns many businesses, including Tabacalera del Este, a tobacco producer and exporter— and Hugo Velázquez—the current vice-president of Paraguay. Weeks ago, Emanuele Ottolenghi argued that through these actions, Paraguay has become a test case for the United States’ efforts to combat corruption globally. However, are these potential arrests likely to move Paraguay into a path of being less corrupt?