Monroe Doctrine
Castro may be dying, but Chavez is receiving his mandate. Castro was isolated on a pretty island. Chavez is isolated on a continent rich with natural resources and left-leaning poor people. Iraq may be distracting us from an honest-to-goodness socialist revolution across Central and South America.
Without Soviet influence, do we have a sound reason to contain communism in South America, especially if it is elected democratically? Teddy Roosevelt probably would think so, but do we have any more legitimacy to complain about an internal political movement instead of European meddling?
Even more, do we have the credibility and wherewithal to address and contain it? No. GWB's effective presidency is over, and he spent our capital in Iraq. Chavez has the power to "rule by decree" for 18 months, just in time for the 2008 presidential elections.
Without Soviet influence, do we have a sound reason to contain communism in South America, especially if it is elected democratically? Teddy Roosevelt probably would think so, but do we have any more legitimacy to complain about an internal political movement instead of European meddling?
Even more, do we have the credibility and wherewithal to address and contain it? No. GWB's effective presidency is over, and he spent our capital in Iraq. Chavez has the power to "rule by decree" for 18 months, just in time for the 2008 presidential elections.
posted by JRB at 9:46 PM
2 Comments:
Venezuela sits atop the world's largest reserve of heavy crude oil.
Power to the people, indeed. At least, if you're the right people.
King Hugo. It has a nice sound to it but it is almost certainly a bad idea. I trust Chavez to do what's right for his people when it is expedient for him. I trust Chavez to do what is right for himself always. I fear that Hugo will use his newfound rulemaking power to crush his legitimate opposition.
Don, Canada has bigger reserves when you take into account the Athabasca oil sands. In fact when you take into account the Oil Sands only Saudia Arabia has a larger reserve. Plus, Canada is not a burgeoning dictatorship.
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