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Edited on Sun Feb-22-09 07:35 PM by Peace Patriot
calling on the U.S. to lift the embargo on Cuba. I think what's happening with all these visits is that the Latin American leaders are preparing for it--economically and politically. Many of them included a request to end the boycott in their messages of congratulation to Obama on his inauguration. There has also been a marked return to civility and diplomacy at the State Department, with regard to Hugo Chavez and Venezuela, after a serious blooper by Obama, during the week of his inauguration. Someone set up an Obama interview with Univision--a rabid anti-Chavez corporate 'news' monopoly--and give Obama a script, which he duly utilized, accusing Chavez of "exporting terrorism"--a Rumsfeld-concocted lie--among other things. But this last week the State Department, when asked about the term limits referendum in Venezuela, stressed how democratic it was, and how much the Obama administration wants to have positive relations with Chavez and Venezuela.
My guess is that Lula da Silva, president of Brazil, got Obama's ear, in a phone call, and educated him on Venezuelan (and Bolivian) democracy (the two latest Bushwhack targets), and on the feeling of all South American leaders of outrage at U.S. attempted interference (which took the form of a Bushwhack-funded and organized fascist coup attempt in Bolivia in September).
Among these visits to Cuba, the most interesting (because unexpected) ones are that of the rightwing corporatist president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, and also Honduran president Manuel Zelaya. Zelaya recently joined ALBA--the leftist trade group started by Venezuela. He was something of a Bush ally for a while there. (And Honduras, of course, was the Reaganites' launching pad for wars on Nicaragua, El Salvador and other countries.) Zelaya became very critical of the Bushwhacks toward the end. And Calderon 'won' Mexico's last election by a hairsbreadth (0.05%) over leftist Lopez-Obrador probably only due to the Bush Junta's help in stealing the election. His orders were to privatize Mexico's oil--but he hasn't been able to do it. (There is great public opposition.)
I think a VERY important re-alignment is going on, having to do with the new South American 'common market'--UNASUR. I think the goal is to get all of Latin America aboard, to create a powerful economic/political entity, able to defend itself and each country, and with great bargaining power for the people of Latin America. It's something that should have happened a hundred years ago, but the U.S. constantly interfered in Latin America with "divide and conquer" tactics. Hugo Chavez really spurred the creation of this new organization. Rather than allowing Venezuela's oil profits to enrich the few, and only benefit Venezuela, he has fought courageously and won the battle to use the oil profits for the education, health care and other benefits for the poor and for Venezuelan society in general, AND has used some of the profits to aid poorer countries like Bolivia and Paraguay. His "we're all in this together" ethic has inspired and activated other leaders.
Nicaragua elected a leftist government. El Salvador is about to. And Guatemala just elected its first progressive government, ever (that of Alvaro Colom), who is sympathetic with the social justice goals of UNASUR which were inspired by the Boliviarians (Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador). So-o-o-o, the peaceful, democratic, leftist revolution that has swept South America is moving north. It is only a matter of time before it's right on our border. And--after UNASUR's magnificent Act One, in helping Bolivia fend off the Bushwhack coup--they may see their Act Two as getting the U.S. embargo on Cuba lifted and normalization of U.S./Cuba relations. Cuba was invited to be a member of UNASUR (and is a member). Latin American solidarity is the goal.
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