|
...because Chavez invited Ahmedinejad to Venezuela and visited Iran--ignoring the fact that Lula da Silva, president of Brazil, did the same thing, and went further, traveling to Turkey and Iran, for a deal regarding Iran's fissionable material, to try to get Iran off the U.S. hit list?
These ignoramuses have been trying to make hay recently about Chavez's gestures of friendship with Gaddafi/Libya before the civil war broke out in Libya (peaceful democracy protests turned into a civil war by Gaddafi striking back with military force, and now both sides--Gaddafi's forces and rebel forces--at war), and Chavez's recent efforts to broker a ceasefire and negotiation. But Chavez's actions were and are part of the SAME common Latin American policy, developed by the leftist Latin American leaders--and now, apparently pursued by Santos--of the same party as Armando Benedetti, I believe, both of them rightwing. The leftist policy was based on the notion that world peace is essential to Latin America's progress, development and prosperity and the policy also includes outreach to the "global south" (other countries in Latin America, and in Africa, the Middle East and Asia) for trade and mutual support in countries protecting their sovereignty from the predatory U.S. (and British/European allies). THAT is why Chavez befriended Gaddafi, not because Chavez approves of repression. Neither he nor Lula da Silva nor any other of the leftist leaders approve of shooting protestors, oppressing women or anything else Ahmedinejad or Gaddafi may have done. Chavez has never harmed ANYONE and is a big advocate of women's rights (also gay rights). But those who oppose Chavez for their own kneejerk or other reasons NEVER replied to my posts about this, and deliberately blind themselves to it. They are invested in the notion that Chavez is a "dictator" and pick and choose their "talking points" accordingly.
It is quite interesting that Santos/Colombia is joining in this common Latin American policy. It is difficult to know if this is the result of CIA tutoring and the U.S. campaign that we can surmise from the recent, fawning article about Santos, by Simon Romero, in the New York Slimes, to paint Santos as "the great white hope" of Latin America (--Santos compared himself to FDR in that puff piece!)--or if there are other motives behind it (simply economics re Iran/Colombia, or U.S. spying on Iran via Colombia--lots of possibilities). But it is worth keeping tabs on.
The U.S., above all, wants to "divide and conquer" Latin America, to prevent its unity under the auspices of UNASUR (prototype EU organization/common market). And since they were getting nowhere with filthy dirty mafioso Uribe as pResident of Colombia, nor with items like the rightwing coup in Honduras--which served only to solidify the leftist leadership of Latin America--Santos' new "smiley face" diplomacy may well be part of a new strategy for the same purpose: divide and conquer. To "divide and conquer," you have to have things to offer that might interest individual leaders and entice them away from other alliances. And of course you have to be perceived as friendly, responsible and reliable, as well as sharing at least some common goals. (Uribe was none of those things.)
Did I say I don't trust Santos? He was Defense Minister during several years of the criminal, blood-drenched Uribe regime and I believe that he was hand-picked by CIA Director Leon Panetta to accomplish certain things for the U.S. Among them are the cover up of Bush Junta crimes in Colombia, the protection of Uribe (who knows too much), and the smooth flow of the trillion-plus dollar cocaine revenue stream into the right banks and pockets, amidst some cosmetics about the Colombian military and its death squads and about the theft of farm land from five MILLION peasant farmers. Nothing much has changed or will change, but we'll be hearing a lot of propaganda about Colombia's "FDR" (--Gawd, do these propaganda purveyors have no shame!) and about Colombia as an ideal "free trade" zone.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
