Bush's Paraguayan Fiasco

[seemslikeadream]

http://www.counterpunch.org/kozloff04222008.html

April 22, 2008
In South America, the White House Has Nowhere to Turn
Bush's Paraguayan Fiasco
By NIKOLAS KOZLOFF

The tiny, land locked nation of Paraguay has not been blessed with political good fortune. For decades, anti-Communist General Alfredo Stroessner, who “disappeared” and tortured thousands of dissidents, ruled over this country of some 7 million people. Stroessner was dislodged by his military subordinates in 1989 and later died in exile in Brazil at the age of 93.

However, the Colorado Party, which backed Stroessner during his 35-year dictatorship, maintained a tight lock on political power while enriching itself and the wealthy at the expense of ordinary Paraguayans. Under Colarado rule, Paraguay became renowned as a haven for fugitive Nazis, smugglers and drug traffickers.

For years, the U.S. backed repressive military rule in Paraguay in an effort to keep a lid on progressive social change. For Washington, Stroessner, a strong anti-communist, could do no wrong. A willing U.S. ally during the Cold War, Stroessner supported Lyndon Johnson’s invasion of the Dominican Republic in 1965 and even offered to help send troops to Vietnam.

Even in Paraguay’s darkest hours, while Stroessner harbored Nazi war criminals, crushed non communist peaceful opposition and persecuted the indigenous population (including forcibly assimilating the Ache population, a policy which ended in bloodshed, sexual slavery and servitude), the U.S. continued to back the General. It wasn’t until the late 1970s, with the arrival of Jimmy Carter in the White House, that the U.S. withdrew its support.

[speedoo]

1. Thanks for posting.

My quick read tells me that's an informative article, and I've bookmarked for future reference.

But I think people who are looking for some analysis of BushCo's land parchase won't find it in this article.

[SalviaBlue]

2. Yes, I thank you for posting also.

Perhaps this explains the Bush land purchase:

"Paraguay became renowned as a haven for fugitive Nazis, smugglers and drug traffickers."


Just say'n.

[speedoo]

3. I thought the same thing when I read that line.

BushCo fits right in, huh?

[BeHereNow]

4. Indeed.

All that water in the aquifer is just an added bonus for the BFEE.
BHN

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

5. The only countries left in SA that doesn't have leftist govts are Colombia, Surinam and Guyana.

I think that's why Shrub is going crazy over getting Congress to pass a free trade agreement with Colombia.

[arcos]

20. You forgot Perú...

Alan García represents the largest and oldest socialdemocratic party in Perú, but nowadays it is usually considered socialdemocrat in name only, and he moved way to the right in order to grab the right wing votes he needed to defeat Ollanta Humala, a Chávez's ally.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

22. Thank you for the clarification! :)

[New Dawn]

6. K&R

[lovuian]

7. can we say their agenda is failing in South America

They are failing

[seemslikeadream]

8. It seems the best laid plans of the BFEE didn't include a new government in Paraguay

What will they do, what will they do?

[slipslidingaway]

9. Thank you....Paraguay? Why not!.... by Octafish

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3183814

[leftchick]

10. Strauss again

what a shock. not.....

<snip>

Despite the passing of Stroessner, most Paraguayans are even worse off today than under the dictatorship. Encouraged by Washington, Paraguay instituted a program of neo-liberal economic reform and privatization which thrust tens of thousands out of work. Paraguayan exiles once fled their country for political reasons. But today, it’s economic misery which has driven many Paraguayans to travel abroad. Currently some two million people live abroad in Argentina, Spain, and the United States.

The legacy of corrupt Colorado rule is evident for all to see. Currently, almost 50 percent of the country’s population lives on less than $2 a day and 38 percent of the citizenry is either unemployed or under-employed. In 2007, GDP per capita stood at roughly $4,000 while 32% of the population lived below the poverty line.

Land ownership is concentrated in the hands of a few large companies which are resorting to more and more soya farming. Amidst the concentration in land ownership, hundreds of thousands of landless farmers have been pushed to the cities by hunger.

[bluesmail]

11. HA! K&R Cheney's been too busy with his occupation in Iraq

and planning out how to invade Iran, when POOF, South Americans votes for their democracy back. I love opposite domino theory.

[slipslidingaway]

12. More from the article...

"...On the other hand, today’s presidential election, which has brought Fernando Lugo to power, stands to shake up Paraguay’s politics and could even exert an impact upon the course of wider hemispheric integration. In light of the fact that Lugo has never held any elective office, his ouster of the Colorado Party is truly remarkable. When you consider that kleptocratic Colorado had managed to hold on to power for more than sixty years, Lugo’s accomplishment is even more striking...

The Road to the Presidency

In 2004, incensed by the social injustice that he witnessed all around him, Lugo resigned his position in the Church to pursue his political ambitions. Shortly afterwards he was the main speaker at a huge anti-Colorado demonstration in Asunción. Unionized workers, as well as leftist and indigenous organizations, began to rally behind Lugo. The ex-Bishop helped to form the Patriotic Front for Change, a grouping of some 20 Indian, farm peasant and union organizations...

The former Bishop, heavyset, bespectacled and sporting a salt-and-pepper beard and priestly sandals, focused on social inequality during his campaign, questioning why “there are so many differences between the 500 families who live with a first-world standard of living while the great majority live in a poverty that borders on misery.” Lugo, who says that he has some affinity with socialism, wants to institute land reform and to re-establish Paraguay’s energy sovereignty...

On the other hand, some of Lugo’s other comments may have raised eyebrows in Washington. He has praised the Venezuelan “experiment” for its positive social accomplishments, as well as “the better distribution of wealth for the benefit of the poor majority.” Furthermore, Lugo supports Chávez’s land reform program and calls the Venezuelan leader’s 21st-century socialism “interesting,” and “very stimulating.”

Lugo believes the U.S. should keep its distance from the political transformation now sweeping through South America. "I don't think the United States has any choice but to accept these changes," he has said...

The Politics of Hydro-Power..."

[seemslikeadream]

13. United States has any choice but to accept these changes,"

We will but will georgie?

[slipslidingaway]

15. Nice statement ! But will the next occupant of the WH accept the

changes taking place in Latin America???


http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=555&Itemid=1

“Hillary Clinton read straight from Bush talking points. Obama gave Colombia the right to invade a neighboring (country) as long as they claim to fight terrorism.”


"...While the Bush administration was fanning flames in South America and insulting allies, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama jumped on the imperialist bandwagon. Neither of them criticized a government sponsored assassination, the violation of a nation’s sovereignty, or the sabotage of a humanitarian effort. Both parroted Bush administration lies about Hugo Chavez.

Hillary Clinton read straight from Bush talking points. “Rather than criticizing Colombia's actions in combating terrorist groups in the border regions, Venezuela and Ecuador should work with their neighbor to ensure that their territories no longer serve as safe havens for terrorist groups. After reviewing this situation, I am hopeful that the government of Ecuador will determine that its interests lie in closer cooperation with Colombia on this issue. Hugo Chavez must call a halt to this provocative action. As President, I will work with our partners in the region and the OAS to support democracy, promote an end to conflict, and to press Chavez to change course.”

...The Obama statement is equally disturbing. "The Colombian people have suffered for more than four decades at the hands of a brutal terrorist insurgency, and the Colombian government has every right to defend itself against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The recent targeted killing of a senior FARC leader must not be used as a pretense to ratchet up tensions or to threaten the stability of the region. The presidents of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela have a responsibility to ensure that events not spiral out of control, and to peacefully address any disputes through active diplomacy with the help of international actors."

[scarletwoman]

14. How soon are the PTB going to try to take him down, and how? Or are the Lords of Darkness weakening?

I fervently wish the latter.

sw

[slipslidingaway]

16. I wish for the latter as well...

sorry but PTB ??? I probably should know.

:shrug:

[scarletwoman]

17. PTB = "Powers That Be". Sorry, I get lazy about typing things out sometimes.

First time I saw it, I was also, like, huh?

Now that you know what it means, just wait. You'll use it, too, one of these days.

:D
sw

[slipslidingaway]

18. Thanks, if I can remember :)) ...

"Now that you know what it means, just wait. You'll use it, too, one of these days."

[scarletwoman]

19. Heh. You'll remember. (nt)

[Octafish]

21. Carter said his foreign policy would be centered around Human Rights.

He was pilloried for that from the kleptocracy.

Reagan & Guatemala’s Death Files by Robert Parry.

As soon as Pruneface and Poppy set up shop they changed it to Anti-Communism and Pro-Capitalism.

Sure added to the net worth of the warmongers.

Most importantly: Great post, seemslikeadream.



Doncha just love South American fauna?

[earth mom]

23. The BFEE is no doubt furious at this turn of events.

Lugo better watch his back. :yoiks: