The recent White House proposal to aid impoverished countries if they drop trade barriers and open their markets is likely to substantially accelerate the misery index in Latin America and Africa, the main targets of the $5 billion plan. Entitled the Millennium Challenge Account, the administration says it will be doled out to countries like Senegal, Ghana, Bolivia, and Honduras if they institute "the rule of law," as well as "sound fiscal policies." This latter includes free trade for "American goods and services." But 15 years of free trade and open markets have inflicted ruinous damage on poor countries in Latin America and Africa.