The presidential palaces of Latin America are famous for their imposing Spanish colonial grandeur. Not long ago these marble edifices on grand plazas were inhabited mostly by military strongmen. That these leaders were elites of European descent went virtually without question. Today, Chile’s presidential palace, La Moneda, is the home of a single mother and torture survivor. In Buenos Aires’ famous… return to article
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Reader Comments (2)Page 1 of 1 pagesRumsfeld on Chavez——- “HITLER was elected, too.”
“The Bush administration should be paying close attention to what is happening in Latin America, without repeating the mistakes of the past. It should define a clear policy for the region that is based on supporting democratic processes and institutions, and should seek to ensure that democratic governments like that of Evo Morales in Bolivia succeed. The United States should be more tolerant of those leaders who do not necessarily toe Washington’s line, and show that it is committed to democracy, regardless of what candidate the people choose. After all, economically successful neighbors make reliable trading partners, and politically stable governments make good global allies.
A prime example of wishful thinking . Just like politely asking my aging Kitty to please, please, please not hunt and eat mice.
The Bush admin, and friends, will continue to sow chaos and corruption at home and abroad until they are stopped.
As we run up to next year’s Frogland Presidential elections one of our little tasks is to identify and expose the Bushistas here at home.
They wanted to go along with the Invasion of Iraq, but have been keeping quiet , for obvious reasons…..I cheer every time one of our frog “utility ” corporations is kicked out in Latin America, and when Argentina escapes from the strangling hold of the IMF.
Some good news is that similar actions are taken here. January 1st, 2005, the city of Cherbourg took back its water utility. Other towns faced years of legal wrangling, and won !
Posted by frog on Apr 6, 2006 at 9:57 AM Most people in the US are completely unaware of how our tax dollars
and savings account dollars are at work South of the Border. The
policies that are driven by economic interests in the US are not part
of the political discourse, although they should be.At least the peoples of Latin and South America know which boot
is kicking them, even if Americans are insulated and unaware.If we were more aware, we would be more interested in promoting
a sustainable foreign policy that departs from the traditional elitist
feudal oligarchy that big business invests in with our money.I bet not many people who read these articles are aware of a
program practiced by the large multinational banks like Wells
Fargo, usually referred to “loan syndication.”As many as 40 or 50 banks may participate in lending to a large
project that combines the maximum allowable capitol from each
local S&L. The amounts are in the hundreds of millions to
billions and the payback period may exceed two hundred years.The banks have tended to favor government owned businesses
such as copper mining in Chile, because they feel authoritarian
governments are more reliable than democracies. Elitists like
elitists.The problem for many people in the southern hemisphere is
that the economic interests at stake are ultimately secured by
military force backed by US covert advisement and training
if not actual boots on the ground.The knowledge gained in the process of learning how to
repress dissent in Latin and South America is unfortunately
likely to become the whirlwind we reap from the seed that
we have sown. Iraq is really an extension of this kind of
foreign policy philosophy. Before this dark trend ends, we
may see this come home to roost in the US.This is why we need to become more aware and to keep
this out in the sunlight of public dialogue.
Posted by sustainablestuart on Apr 6, 2006 at 10:36 PM Page 1 of 1 pages -
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