Published: February 15, 2005
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Latin American nations must join together to protect democracy against a ``creeping authoritarianism'' that has been taking root in the region, a senior Bush administration official said Tuesday.
Robert Zoellick, designated by President Bush for the State Department's No. 2 position, cited in particular the actions of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Zoellick, who has served as Bush's chief trade official since 2001, said Chavez has been carrying out anti-democratic activities in the same way that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori did during the 1990s.
``I think it's a very dangerous course for these countries,'' Zoellick said, testifying before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing.
Chavez has closely aligned his country with Cuba and has embraced President Fidel Castro's rhetoric.
``The imperialist forces are starting to strike against the people of Latin America and the world,'' Chavez said in a speech two weeks ago to a gathering in Brazil.
Chavez has accused the United States of meddling in a recall referendum last year and of supporting a military coup that almost drove him from power in 2002. The Bush administration has denied both allegations.
Zoellick said a new breed of authoritarians follows similar patterns. ``You win the election, but you do away with your opponents, you do away with the press, you do away with the rule of law, you pack the courts,'' he said.
He said pro-democratic changes adopted by the Organization of American States in 1991 were designed to protect elected governments against military coups and should be altered to deal with a trend toward authoritarianism.
His comments offered a view of the challenges the United States faces in Latin America that was not heard earlier. His testimony could herald a significant departure in hemispheric policy.
Chavez, he said, wants to portray his relationship with the United States as comparable to ``David and Goliath.'' He added that the United States ``shouldn't be afraid to say, 'Well, he's taking away liberties.'''
Zoellick said the governments elected by Venezuelans before Chavez became president in 1999 did not serve the people and thus made possible the election of Chavez.
What is happening in Venezuela and elsewhere in Latin America, Zoellick said, reflects the upward mobility of people who are asserting their rights in the democratic era in Latin America that began replacing military rule a generation ago.
``What we're seeing now is that people who are on the margins of the traditional society are using some of the democratic openings and they are saying, 'Look, I want my share. I want my piece of this.'''
He said the United States should identify itself with these people. But, he said, ``we can't do it for them.''
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., expressed concern that China could become the chief importer of Venezuelan oil, replacing the United States, which now relies on Venezuela for 13-15 percent of its petroleum imports.
This could leave the United States scrambling for oil, Nelson said.
Zoellick dismissed that suggestion, saying the United States could buy oil from producers that now supply China.
"Hugo, Cesar -- whatever. A Chavez is a Chavez. We've always had problems with them."
CHÁVEZ WINS....It appears that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has beaten back the attempt to recall him ?- thus proving that he's a more effective politician than Gray Davis. The vote was 58%-42% and the Carter Center has validated it as fair.
I don't have much to say about this. Both Chávez and his opposition are corrupt enough that it's hard to pick sides on a substantive basis, but as a side note it's worth pointing out that Venezuela is a pretty good case study in the essential dilemma at the heart of neoconservatism: the tension between democracy promotion on the one hand and U.S. power and influence on the other.
Although neither Chávez nor his opponents will ever be poster boys for human rights and parliamentary procedure, Chávez has proven himself an unusually effective demagogue who's particularly hostile toward both the United States and our regional interests. At the same time, he was elected in both 1998 and 2000 and he did win yesterday's recall vote.
So when the Venezuelan public continually demonstrates its support for someone who despises the United States, which is more important? Democracy or American interests? Judging by their rhetoric during the 2002 coup attempt against Chávez, which ranged from awkward silence to outright approval, the neocons think U.S. interests are more important.
It's one thing to denounce Chávez's methods, which are indeed incendiary and worrisomely authoritarian, but it's quite another to approve of a military coup as a way of removing him from office, and this is one reason that I'm less than convinced that the neocon devotion to democracy promotion is genuine. Everybody says they're in favor of democracy, but it only means something if you support it even when the winner is someone you loathe. If neocons weren't willing to denounce a military coup in Venezuela two years ago, what are the odds that they'll continue sticking up for democracy in Iraq if the majority there turns out to be hostile to the U.S. ?- as is likely to be the case? Pretty slim, I'd say.
Bush orders policy to ?'contain' Chávez
By Andy Webb-Vidal in Miami
Published: March 13 2005 21:42 | Last updated: March 13 2005 21:42
Senior US administration officials are working on a policy to "contain" Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan president, and what they allege is his drive to "subvert" Latin America's least stable states.
A strategy aimed at fencing in the government of the world's fifth-largest oil exporter is being prepared at the request of President George W. Bush and Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state, senior US officials say. The move signals a renewed interest by the administration in a region that has been relatively neglected in recent years.
Roger Pardo-Maurer, deputy assistant secretary for western hemisphere affairs at the US Department of Defense, said the Venezuela policy was being developed because Mr Chávez was employing a "hyena strategy" in the region.
"Chávez is a problem because he is clearly using his oil money and influence to introduce his conflictive style into the politics of other countries," Mr Pardo-Maurer said in an interview with the Financial Times.
"He's picking on the countries whose social fabric is the weakest," he added. "In some cases it's downright subversion."
Mr Chávez, whose government has enjoyed bumper export revenues during his six years in office thanks to high oil prices, has denied that he is aiding insurgent groups in countries such as Bolivia, Colombia and Peru. But a tougher stance from the US appears to be in the offing, a move that is likely to worsen strained bilateral relations.
The policy shift in Washington, which a US military officer said is at an early stage but is centred on the goal of "containment", could also have implications for the world oil market.
Mr Chávez has threatened to suspend oil shipments to the US if it attempts to oust him. He and Fidel Castro, the Cuban president, have alleged, without offering proof, that the Bush administration was plotting to assassinate the Venezuelan leader, an allegation that US officials have dismissed as "wild".
Suggestions that Mr Chávez backs subversive groups surface frequently, although so far also with scant evidence. Colombian officials close to President Alvaro Uribe say Venezuela is giving sanctuary to Colombian guerrillas, deemed "terrorists" by the US and Europe.
US officials say Mr Chávez financed Evo Morales, the Bolivian indigenous leader whose followers last week unsuccessfully tried to force President Carlos Mesa's resignation. In Peru allegations emerged suggesting that Mr Chávez financed a rogue army officer who tried to incite a rebellion against President Alejandro Toledo in December.
Mr Chávez has dismissed such claims as fabrications designed to undermine his attempts to foster greater political and economic integration in Latin America.
Mr Pardo-Maurer said Washington has run out of patience: "We have reached the end of the road of the current approach."
Zoellick said a new breed of authoritarians follows similar patterns. ``You win the election, but you do away with your opponents, you do away with the press, you do away with the rule of law, you pack the courts,'' he said.
"Chávez is a problem because he is clearly using his oil money and influence to introduce his conflictive style into the politics of other countries," Mr Pardo-Maurer said in an interview with the Financial Times
Mr Chávez....has denied that he is aiding insurgent groups in countries such as Bolivia, Colombia and Peru
He and Fidel Castro, the Cuban president, have alleged, without offering proof, that the Bush administration was plotting to assassinate the Venezuelan leader, an allegation that US officials have dismissed as "wild".
The Return of Latin America's Left
By ÁLVARO VARGAS LLOSA
Oakland, Calif.
THE left is in power in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. With this month's inauguration of Tabaré Vázquez as president of Uruguay, this trend will likely continue. The year 2006 could bring a similar leftward shift in Mexico and Peru, while in Bolivia the Socialist opposition has been setting much of the political agenda since the fall of President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada in 2003. Although this movement is hardly homogeneous (there are major differences between Venezuela's Hugo Chávez, Chile's Ricardo Lagos and Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva), the continental pattern is clear.
Behind this tilt is popular frustration with the failures of the 1990's, a decade of reform under governments of the right that were supposed to catapult the region toward development. Despite the success of many of these governments in curbing inflation, that development failed to happen. Instead of decentralization and the creation of a free, competitive economy and strong legal institutions open to all, crony capitalism and authoritarianism grew.
Countries replaced inflation with new taxes on the poor, high tariffs with regional trading blocs, and, especially, state monopolies with government-sanctioned private monopolies. The courts were subjected to the whims of those in power, widening the divide between official institutions and ordinary people - one reason recent surveys in Latin America have pointed to such widespread disillusionment with democracy...
Rumsfeld Questions Venezuela on Rifles
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: March 23, 2005
MANAUS, Brazil (AP) -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Wednesday criticized Venezuela's reported efforts to purchase 100,000 AK-47 assault rifles from Russia, suggesting that Venezuela's possession of so many weapons would threaten the hemisphere.
Harsh accusations and increasing animosity have marked the relationship between the United States and Venezuela. Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, has warned that he will cut off shipments of his country's oil to the United States if the Bush administration supports an attempt to force him from office.
Venezuela is the world's fifth largest oil exporter and provides about 13 percent of U.S. crude oil imports.
Rumsfeld, during a four-day trip to Latin America, raised concerns about the reports of Venezuela's rifle purchases.
``I can't imagine what's going to happen to 100,000 AK-47s,'' Rumsfeld said at a news conference in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, which shares a border with Venezuela.
``I can't understand why Venezuela needs 100,000 AK-47s. I personally hope it doesn't happen. I can't imagine if it did happen it would be good for the hemisphere,'' the defense secretary said.
Rumsfeld appeared with Brazil's vice president and defense minister, Jose Alencar, who declined to offer similar criticism of Chavez. Alencar would only say that Brazil respects the right of self-determination of other countries.
Venezuela Gets Ready For Civil War
by James Dunnigan
March 30, 2005
Discussion Board on this DLS topic
Venezuela is having problems with the loyalty of its armed forces. The current government is run by a former army officer Hugo Chavez. Normally, that would not be a problem. But Chavez sees himself as another Fidel Castro. That is, the rebel Castro before he proclaimed himself a hard core communist. Chavez wants social revolution in Venezuela, but many, perhaps a majority, of Venezuelans don't want to be another Cuba. While Venezuela's oil wealth has not been distributed equally, it has created a large middle class. This includes the military. Many of the troops are nervous about Chavez, and his social programs. Even some of Chavez's military decisions have caused unease among officers and troops. For example, Chavez is now buying military equipment from Russia. This includes helicopters (nine Mi-17s and one Mi-26) for the navy. The navy considers these helicopters unsuitable for naval use. The sailors are correct, but the price is cheap, and Chavez wants to make a political point.
The army is unhappy about the cozy relationship between Chavez and leftist rebel groups in neighboring Colombia. Venezuelan troops have been operating more aggressively along the Colombian border. This is officially a crackdown on the smugglers who always have operated there. But the Venezuelan troops are accused to really going after the Colombian rebels, or supporting them. Take your pick. No one is sure exactly what is going on.
To top it all off, Chavez is now organizing a new army, one loyal to him personally. This is part of his plan create "Bolivarian Circles of Venezuela Frontline Defense for National Democratic Revolution." These are political clubs all over the country, particularly in poor areas, where Chavez has the most support. Chavez expects to have 2.2 million members, who will be the backbone of the "democratic revolution unfolding in Venezuela." What upsets the armed forces is Chavezs decision to pass out infantry weapons to these political clubs, so that his new political clubs can use force to "defend the revolution." There are believed to be Cuban advisors involved in this effort. This sort of mass organization has been used before in Latin America, by both leftist and rightist dictators (pro-fascist Juan Peron of Argentina, and communist Fidel Castro of Cuba.) But by passing out guns to his most dedicated followers, Chavez is angering the military, making the middle class even more nervous, and setting the stage for a bloody civil war.
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