Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Tough times for Latin America as integration efforts falter due to ideology When the Summit at Iguaçu last week was over, a talkative Hugo Chavez, (what else is new?) hailed the meeting, said it was wonderful and that the pharanoic mega pipeline would now include Bolivia. But somehow that is not what apparently happened, as press reports tell us that Lula told Chavez not to meddle so much in South American affairs and that he was endangering the gas pipeline project with his intromissions.  The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry claims to be surprised by this reaction, while none other than Evo Morales says that he will try to save the Andean trade pact while in Europe. Morales meanwhile is now being accused of being himself a puppet of Chavez, as he is criticized for flying in a Venezuelan plane to Europe and Morales tries to distance himself from the Venezuelan President. But it is hard to do as his Minister of Energy confirms that PDVSA employees helped with the nationalization decree, Morales says expropriation of large states is next, then a Constituent Assembly and you bring Chavez to a Summit where he has little role to play other than defend you from the ire of Lula and Kirchner. Of course, all of these problems are supposedly being caused by the “right wing” Brazilian oligarchs like Celso Amorin and Marco Aurelio Garcia, Chavez' allies two yaers ago, who are now at the center stage of criticism in their own countries because essentially Lula had his thunder and leadership stolen by Chavez. The result of all this is that Lula is looking North more than ever, as he realizes he can not count on his supposedly ideological partners to go along with him, Uruguay is mad at Argentina, Peruvian candidates now all attack Chavez, Lopez Obrador seems to be losing not first place but now even second place in the Mexican Presidential race tahnks to Chavez and the President of Guatemala tells Chavez not to meddle, even before he has. All in all not a very good week for someone that wants to be the leader of this southern hemisphere. A lot of the work Chavez had done regionally to integrate was lost this week because of the style Venezuelans have seen in the last seven years: confrontation, intolerance and ignoring others opinions. This is in the end bad for the whole region. The world is becoming highly connected and if we can not connect with our most natural trading partners, we all lose in the end. Chavez’ difficulty is that he truly believes that free trade is bad, while the rest of the region has come to recognize that free trade is the way out of poverty for many of these countries. Moreover, he wants to impose his point of view, the way he did on the CAN, later on Mercosur, then with the G-3 and helping Morales make decisions that have created a rift between his country and his natural (and only!) clients. So far only Argentinean President Kirchner has yet to distance himself publicly from Chavez. Maybe he can not yet afford to, given the largesse of the Chavez Government in purchasing that country’s debt in the last year, no questions asked. The only question is what will be the next step. Lula is facing an election, while his own country is beginning to doubt his ability to lead the country internationally. Mexican, Peruvian and Colombian politicians distance themselves from the Venezuelan President, who has an election in eight months that will likely push him into radical positions that many neighbors will not like. The US seems to have no clue as to how to play this game, other than do little or fumble even when they try to do something.   Unfortunately, all of these countries continue to benefit from the world commodities boom, which hides many of their structural problems and lack of competitiveness. Decisions are delayed, conflicts are avoided and important opportunities are being missed as the more radical left interferes with the traditional one to slow down progress in trade within then region. Integration efforst falter simply because of ideology, the same ill that has affected the region for decades.  In the end, the people are hurt as the economies if their countries d not grow as fast as they need to, while other areas of the world, such as Asia and Eastern Europe continue to make strides in solving those same problems with pragmatism. 10:43:41 PM    comment []

Washington Post on crime in Venezuela And the Washinton post has somehow discovered that the revolution has flaws, such as the tripling of the crime rate in the last seven and a half years. It really does not make me feel very good to think that Caracas has the worst crime rate of the planet, but hey, that is what revolutions are all about, achieving new milestones, no? 9:50:56 PM    comment []

We are all the trail (trocha) by Elides Rojas in El Universal With his characteritics acid wit, Elides Rojas sings his praise for the trocha and what it means We are all the trail (trocha) by Elides Rojas in El Universal Almost eight years of revolution. Between pushes and shoves, the process advances and, to the general joy of all, it leaves a long trail of achievements that will be the fundamental endorsement to go way over the ten million votes and insure the reign until 2031, as is the wish of the undisputable leader of the continent. And thanks God it will be like that. The announced referendum to establish the monarchy will have the same features that frame the process of December 4th.: unfair advantages, excess money and a CNE ready, transparent and dignified in these times of democratic modernity. Besides having a luxurious candidate for eternal chief and, as it corresponds, ready to compete face to face, with fears and in equality of conditions with the best there is. That’s the way it is. A man who wants to battle with the most powerful nation in the world, followed by a bunch of fat and out of shape military officers and backed by popular forces which are poorer and older and which have been called to be part of the reserves, is , without any doubt, brave, a hero, an illustrious person. So much cold blood and disposition for a war with clear disadvantages, makes us think that the candidate for perpetual mandate will have not inconvenients in carrying out the electoral task and in reaffirmation of that warrior nobility, he will fight with fairness. It is the least you can expect from a figure of so much temple and vocation for justice. But, besides that invincible personal inner strength, almost epical, of which he has too much of, there are accomplishments, public works, legacy. Worldly stuff, it is true, but we are talking about a leader whose perspective is way above cement buildings or roads. His vision is, as in effect he has shown, cosmic, interplanetary. Nevertheless, despite his high level of experience, something filters down to our humble and earthly levels. The list of accomplishments is as long as the battles fought against powerful dragons and terrible conspirators. We have beautiful vertical chicken coops, thousands and thousands of homes for the poor of the process. So many new roofs that there is even enough for Cuba, Jamaica or anyone that asks. Jobs even for the Iranians. A strong and respected currency. The most modern road network of the whole galaxy. Reliable water and electricity. A shielded judicial system. Zero Corruption. Full social harmony. The most capable invaders of buildings and land of the whole galaxy. The most accurate and heartless criminal’s of the whole solar system. The most effective schemes in history for the cleaning and maintenance of cities that have been developed. The international center for welfare with the largest world reach was created, with Cuba as its principal objective and as a target of the most sublime generosity. We have entered the elite of international squabblers. We are leaders, by far, in the emotional wear and of screwing with people’s patience, both internally and externally. But the pinnacle on the matter of public works is taken by the Trocha of the Americas, with all of the sabotage of the CIA, Carmona Estanga and the coups of the opposition. The trocha, you should know, is also made with the fiber of heroes, even if it can not take even a small sprinkle of water. It is the reflection of the master designs of the revolution for the country: inefficiency, shoddiness, improvisation, all those stones and a lot of fibbing propaganda. We are all the trail! 9:11:46 PM    comment []