Political storm brews in Latin America
UNITED NATIONS — There’s a hemispheric storm brewing in Latin America. The political weather front has moved from the Caribbean island of Cuba into the rich oil fields of Venezuela, and stalled over the mineral rich mining country of the high Andes in Bolivia. This tempest, while nurtured in the political hothouse in Havana, has been financed by petro-dollars in Caracas, and has looked to La Paz as a proving ground. It’s all part of an intensely important series of events largely overlooked, if misunderstood, in the USA.
What’s called the “Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of Our America,” an innocuous enough sounding economic plan, could become the political template for key countries in Latin America. The name evokes Simon Bolivar, the 19th century nationalist liberator of much of Latin America from Spanish rule. The regional plan is meant to play on the very genuine nationalist themes which are being tragically twisted by the totalitarian temptations of the late 20th century.
Decided upon in a recent Havana meeting of the leaders of Cuba, Venezuela, and Bolivia, the model envisages a Marxist alternative to free markets and more importantly brings back the militant political rhetoric of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales the proletarian triumvirate, are the primary players—so far. Confrontational anti-Americanism, and more potently the new Bolivian government nationalizing of foreign firms, has created an atmosphere which happily has not been seen in a generation.
Press headlines “Bolivia Nationalizes Hydrocarbons” accompanied of photos of battle clad troops seizing foreign assets and the government in La Paz speaking of the “new rules of the game” through a Supreme Decree does not lend to confidence.
On the surface the Bolivarian Alternative envisages a influx of needed teachers and medical specialists from Cuba to petroleum rich Venezuela. Today 23,600 Cuban health professionals are working in Venezuela while another 3,300 Venezuelans are studying Medicine in Cuba. Subsidized Venezuelan oil is shipped to Cuba. More ominously, high oil prices have given Chavez a petro dollar windfall to subsidize a gaggle of socialist political movements and political regimes—particularly Bolivia. Officially the Caracas rulers have doled out a minimum of $17 billion of its petro-dollars for internationalist political causes. Communist Cuba never had such a cash cow as Venezuela’s oil wealth, most ironically generated from the USA!
Venezuelan meddling in Bolivian politics and coaxing of the Mary knoll darling Evo Morales has prompted opposition leader Jorge Quiroga to claim that “we have become a colony of Venezuela.” Indeed, Venezuelan technical advisors and Cuban agents abound.
Resource rich Bolivia, the Andean lynchpin of Latin America has already ruffled some feathers—even of Brazil’s left-wing government. By seizing Brazilian assets, the Bolivians have played a cheap nationalist card, but have equally shown themselves to be rash players in the regional energy game. Evo Morales, in search of short term political fix, will surrender his country to revolutionary rhetoric and allow Bolivia to become at best a poorer laughing stock.
But while the Bolivarian Alternative promises (let’s see what’s really delivered) notable social and educational benefits, the plan equally speaks of control and coordination of minerals, natural resources, and foods. For example, one article of the Pact states, “Bolivia will contribute to the energy security of our nations with its available surplus production of hydrocarbons.” Landlocked Bolivia is rich in natural gas and a myriad of other mineral resources.
Moreover, the pact states that the governments of Cuba and Venezuela “will promote actions needed to support the just Bolivian demand for the unconditional cancellation of her foreign debt, since it constitutes a serious obstacle to Bolivia’s struggle against poverty and inequality.”
Poverty and inequality, indeed. It appears that Bolivia’s President Evo Morales, only six months into his tenure, is willfully taking his country along the primrose path of state socialism from which Bolivia will emerge poorer and sadly worse off than today. Hugo Chavez, the self-styled “Liberator” of Latin America has unfurled his maps and now looks to the next target of opportunity.
John J. Metzler is a U.N. correspondent covering diplomatic and defense
issues. He writes weekly for World Tribune.com. |
