Who's Meddling in Latin American Politics

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MEXIDATA . INFO
Column 032706 Brewer
Monday, March 27, 2006
Who’s Meddling in Latin American Politics?
By Jerry Brewer
It doesn’t take long for a hemisphere to begin radical

turns to the left. However the vehicle utilized to
negotiate these maneuvers must become suspect,
especially when recklessly driven by what President
George W. Bush describes as “a demagogue full of
petroleum money undermining democracy and trying to
destabilize the region.”
In response, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has

called Bush a jackass, a drunkard, and a coward.
Verbal sparing between two presidents that deserves

attention, but amidst the name-calling and charges of
political improprieties where does the truth lie?
U.S. concerns have been expressed with respect to the

situation in Colombia, “where a democratic ally is
fighting persistent attacks by Marxist rebels and
narcotics traffickers.” Whereas Cuba has been
described as “where an anti-American dictator
continues oppressing his people and tries to subvert
regional freedom.”
As well, the potential strengthening of the relationship

between Venezuela’s Chavez and the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), against Colombian
President Alvaro Uribe, is of serious concern to the
U.S., indeed to the free world. Add to this Venezuela’s
purchase of over US$2 billion in arms, the biggest
weapons buildup in Latin America in years, and there is
even more reason to question the Chavez-led nation’s
trustworthiness.
Chavez has used windfall profits from oil sales to win

influence in the hemisphere. He provides discounted oil
and low-cost oil financing to Caribbean nations and
others. Venezuela committed US$2.4 billion to fund
loans to Argentina, and used Argentine soil to rally a
violent protest during the Summit of the Americas in
Mar del Plata, where U.S. flags were burned.
This while Chavez’s brand of populism is producing

economic disaster for Venezuelans, including the poor
who he claims to care so much about.
Let’s be clear on the rhetoric from those who try to

interpret Chavez’s actions as valiant and productive.
Despite hundreds of billions of dollars in oil income, a
report by the United Nations Development Program
notes that Venezuelan poverty is ongoing, schools have
not improved, and the standard of living has declined.
In other words, poverty in Venezuela is still above its
level in 1998, the year Chavez was elected president.
Generous bilateral trade agreements with Argentina,

Brazil, Uruguay, and Bolivia, in which Venezuela sells oil
to those countries at a discount, and offers to buy their
agricultural and manufactured exports at above-market
prices, should not fool the bottom line – that essentially
means little or no progress for the poor of Venezuela.
Another example of curious practices in a nation with
needs, when the highway linking the country’s main
airport to Caracas recently collapsed Chavez announced
he would give 200,000 barrels per month of diesel fuel
to Bolivia.
Venezuela under Hugo Chavez is also footing the bill for

launching “Telesur,” a Latin American anti-American
television channel that many see as a medium to
compete with CNN and Univision. Cuba is listed as one
of the partners in that venture.
Too, the Venezuelan government has used the judicial

system selectively against its political opposition, this
with the implementation of a 2004 media law that limits
press freedom.
Elections throughout Latin America have become critical

issues for policymakers in many countries of the world.
Concerns certainly include current leading presidential
candidates in Peru and Nicaragua, Ollanta Humala and
Daniel Ortega respectively, who appear to revere
Chavez. In Ecuador, presidential candidate Rafael
Correa announced on Telesur that he fully supports
Chavez’s “regional movement.” In contrast, on
Colombian radio the President of Ecuador’s Congress
blamed Chavez for “quite probably fueling violent
destructive acts across Ecuador.”
The Venezuelan Communications and Information

Ministry is actively promoting Correa in Ecuador, with
the participation of journalist and writer Marcelo Larrea.
Larrea is a founding member of a pro-Chavez Bolivarian
alliance, along with the former commander of Ecuador’s
Army, General Rene Vargas Pazzos, who is notorious for
his pro-FARC activities.
Additionally, Venezuela is fast becoming a creditor to

many Latin American countries by buying their
sovereign bonds, instruments that essentially are
issued only after Chavez offers to buy them. Argentina
and Ecuador alone now owe Venezuela around US$2
billion.
Yet being a creditor might eventually benefit Venezuela

if the price of oil begins to drop and free spending is
curtailed.
——————————
Jerry Brewer, the Vice President of Criminal Justice
International Associates, a global risk mitigation firm
headquartered in Miami, Florida, is also a columnist with
MexiData.info. He can be reached via e-mail at
Cjiaincusa@aol.com jbrewer@cjiausa.org

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Home | Columns | Media Watch | Reports | Links | About Us | Contact

Monday, March 27, 2006

Who’s Meddling in Latin American Politics?

It doesn’t take long for a hemisphere to begin radical

In response, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has

Verbal sparing between two presidents that deserves

U.S. concerns have been expressed with respect to the

As well, the potential strengthening of the relationship

Chavez has used windfall profits from oil sales to win

This while Chavez’s brand of populism is producing

Let’s be clear on the rhetoric from those who try to

Generous bilateral trade agreements with Argentina,

Venezuela under Hugo Chavez is also footing the bill for

Too, the Venezuelan government has used the judicial

Elections throughout Latin America have become critical

The Venezuelan Communications and Information

Additionally, Venezuela is fast becoming a creditor to

Yet being a creditor might eventually benefit Venezuela

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