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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Hugo Chavez and the politics of buffoonery |
| 2006-10-26 |
| With Enemies Like These... By Pejman Yousefzadeh When it came to the subject of enemies, Voltaire had the best take on the matter: "I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: 'O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.' And God granted it." Someone in the United States must have prayed for God to make Hugo Chavez a ridiculous anti-American enemy since the prayer has been granted. Chavez is well known for his desire to make Latin America a bulwark against what he perceives to be American imperialism. But as the New York Times reported earlier this year, his efforts have fallen short: As Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez, insinuates himself deeper in the politics of his region, something of a backlash is building among his neighbors. Mr. Chávez — stridently anti-American, leftist and never short on words — has cast himself as spokesman for a united Latin America free of Washington's influence. He has backed Bolivia's recent gas nationalization, set up his own Socialist trade bloc and jumped into the middle of disputes between his neighbors, even when no one has asked. Some nations are beginning to take umbrage. The mere association with Mr. Chávez has helped reverse the leads of presidential candidates in Mexico and Peru. Officials from Mexico to Nicaragua, Peru and Brazil have expressed rising impatience at what they see as Mr. Chávez's meddling and grandstanding, often at their expense. Diplomatic sparring has broken into the open. Last month, after very public sniping between Mr. Chávez and Peru's president, Alejandro Toledo, the country withdrew its ambassador from Caracas, citing "flagrant interference" in its affairs. The Economist noted Chavez's ability to repel support overseas in its coverage of his interference in Peru's election: According to the pollsters most Peruvians dislike Mr Chávez and his meddling. One poll, by Apoyo, found that only 17% had a positive view of him, and 75% disapproved of his comments. Only 23% approved of Mr Morales, and 61% objected to his calling Peru's outgoing president, Alejandro Toledo, a "traitor" for signing a free-trade agreement with the United States. Chavez's support of Ecuadoran presidential candidate Rafael Correa influenced Correa's to fall to a second place finish in the recent first round of voting. This has prompted Correa to distance himself from Chavez in the hopes that he might be able to save his floundering campaign. Indeed, it appears that an anti-Chavez coalition is being created throughout the Americas, and while Chavez is not without his supporters, his dream of creating an anti-American Bolivarian coalition appears to have run aground. The backlash moved Dan Drezner, a professor of international relations and political science, to say, "As a citizen of the United States, I, for one, would like to thank Mr. Chavez for his antics -- keep it up, Hugo!!" Chavez's diplomatic failures have continued unabated this year. He sought to get OPEC to reduce its oil production. OPEC rejected his call. He went to the United Nations and called George W. Bush "the devil." Democrats rushed to the President's defense. And Chavez's attacks on the President may have served to alienate the United Nations; in its attempt to win a seat on the U.N. Security Council, Venezuela has been unsuccessful and its efforts have antagonized neighbors like Guatemala. None of this diplomatic buffoonery makes Hugo Chavez less potentially destabilizing. Chavez is determined to use petrodollars to win friends and to use arms sales—and, potentially, military adventurism—to intimidate foes. The danger he poses ought not to be taken lightly. As things currently stand, however, it seems that Chavez's foes have a lot to be thankful for. If they could not have a friend in the president of Venezuela, they at least got the next best thing; a thoroughly ridiculous enemy. hugo is thoroughly ridiculous, anti-capitalist, antisemite, and anti-american, that's why the french leftists/antiglobos and shiraq love him so, they feel they have so much in common. Pejman Yousefzadeh is a TCS Daily contributing writer. |
| Posted by:anonymous5089 |