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2004-09-21 Caribbean-Latin America

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Posted by Fred 2004-09-21 8:49:42 AM|| || Front Page|| [11130 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 My, my just what the weasle has comming.

Posted by Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-09-21 9:45:13 AM|| [http://www.slhess.com] 2004-09-21 9:45:13 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Not speaking to Chavez's merits, or lack thereof; but republican foreign policy south of Mexico has been an utter disaster since the 1960s. Despite having very talented people working in the foreign sections elsewhere, the central- and South-American desk has been run by the most incompetant cabal of boneheads imaginable. Led by Elliott Abrams and Juan Otto Reich, these Diazistas hold an idealized view of that part of the world trapped in the 1940s: a choice between dictators and communist revolutionaries.
Fortunately for all concerned, central and South America haven't really been that critical in world affairs, under some vague memory of the Monroe Doctrine; but their potentials have been utterly squandered in some of the most asinine policies imagineable.
From the very first moment that Chavez chit-chatted with Castro, these two men decided that he had to go. And from there, they began to orchestrate, with the help of a platoon of Oliver North types, revolutionary plots of Monty Python-quality foolishness, aided by might best be described as the Venezuelan equivalent of a Yacht Club full of John Kerry supporters.
The US was spared most of the graphic details of these FOUR (or so) failed efforts by the fact that the ONLY wire service news leaving the entire country was written by ONE AP correspondent, who just happened to work at the "yacht club", and supported the Monty Pythoners. In short, the whole lot of them should be relieved, and Bush should not hire anyone who has ever even spoken to any of them, and start from scratch.

Posted by Anonymoose 2004-09-21 10:58:15 AM|| 2004-09-21 10:58:15 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Bush snubs Venezuela's President...

And?

Posted by BigEd 2004-09-21 12:01:07 PM|| 2004-09-21 12:01:07 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 Anon 2004,

What four efforts are you talking about? Do not tell me that you buy into that crap that Bush tried to overthrow that SOB of Chavez in April 2002?
As a Venezuelan, I can tell you that we suffer from the same disease that all third world countries suffer from: paternalism and a heavy dose of anti-americanism. Because of the latter, we have become conditioned to only choose from dictators and communist revolutionaries. Both blame the US for the deplorable economic circuntances that we have lived in what it seems forever, and both promise to take care of all of our needs from craddle to death. Do you have any suggestion on how to break this vicious cycle?

Posted by Anonymous6134 2004-09-21 12:22:06 PM|| 2004-09-21 12:22:06 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 Snub? I was hopiing for a good kidney punch.

Posted by Rex Mundi 2004-09-21 1:53:47 PM|| 2004-09-21 1:53:47 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 Anonymous6134: the only time the US has an effective foreign policy is during republican administrations. The dems tend to just tread water, then pat themselves on the back for a job "well done", as the world breathes a collective sigh of relief at their departure. However, though the republicans have *considerable* foreign policy expertise, central and South America have been a persistant blind spot for many years now. The US could be a great friend and ally of the people of these regions, if we had competant people at the desk, but right now we don't. The US could also act as a great mediator and educator between contentious groups--as it has done in other parts of the world--but our cabal does not grasp that concept, still seeing everything south of Mexico as divided between "El General Magnifico" and his clique of wealthy landholders on one side, and peons on the other. A movie stereotype of old.
So how to deal with Chavez? Granted, he is an unlovely character, but he is just a populist, no more, no less. He seems to understand the importance of the flow of oil from his country to the world. He is not some caricature, he can be dealt with, bargained with, haggled with, as long as someone is willing to do it. His time will pass, and should pass, in a peaceful manner. Perhaps someone more relaxed will replace him, perhaps not. But he is a far cry from Che Guevara. Finally, I have kept track of the efforts to overthrow him, and find them to be so poorly planned an executed as to be an embarassment. Except for the first one, the others have been abortive and ineffectual, even if a few people were killed. Reeking of cloak & dagger, they remind me of the assassination of Rasputin: conspirators listening to "Yankee Doodle" on a wind-up record player to steel their nerves, before returning to Rasputin to poison him, then stab him, then shoot him, then finally to push him below the ice in a river.
The US bunglers who encourge actions like this in Venezuela should be fired. If the US had a decent central and South American foreign policy Chavez either would see the advantages of friendship, or would concentrate on Venezuela's problems and ignore the US. Either of which would be better for the Venezuelans and the US than the foolishness going on right now.

Posted by Anonymoose 2004-09-21 2:55:31 PM|| 2004-09-21 2:55:31 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Any group of people that can fuck up the Argentine doesn't need our help.

Posted by Shipman 2004-09-21 7:23:10 PM|| 2004-09-21 7:23:10 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 Or VA, the list goes on.

Posted by Shipman 2004-09-21 7:23:53 PM|| 2004-09-21 7:23:53 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 Now that wasn't proper diplomacy, Mr. President.

Proper diplomacy would have been a right cross, I believe, although Foggy Bottom, when consulted, might have also approved an uppercut.

And Mrs. Bush could have delivered the obligatory kick in the 'nads.

Posted by Barbara Skolaut 2004-09-21 10:16:17 PM|| 2004-09-21 10:16:17 PM|| Front Page Top

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