On my last trip to Venezuela, the last official to check our passports before boarding the plan to return to the US, hit us up for a bribe. He claimed he could flag our passports as suspicious ie fakes and deny boarding while the matter was investigated. We refused to pay him anything and got on the plane anyway. Of course, corruption is rampant on the entire continent not just Venezuela.
Agree. However, this specific incident is not Bush's fault. It's Chavez's for blowing it out of proportion.
I sort of agree with Visca, but remember who attacked who. but if you do want to blame Bush... Castro wrote an article sort of on the subject... http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKN0737303120080308
This could happen in just about any Latin American country. If there is one thing that Chavez can be lauded for in Venezuela, is the fact that he is actualy trying to fight corruption, he's just doing it wrong. his "missions" such as mission Rivas and Sucre (education reforms) have to be carried out by the military and volunteers to get around the corrupt beurocracies. The problem is that Chavez relies on the military to carry out so many of his bolivarian initiatives, and the beuraucracy still exists. You put two and two together and you can see that this would be a very expensive way to operate a nation. However, the upper levels of government have become a lot less corrupt. If it wasnt for oil money fueling these expensive programs many of Chavez' social reforms would not be nearly as effective. my theory: if oil prices crash again in Venezuela-- Chavez will fall.
Aw come on, Tex, are you trying to hurt my feelings? I can think of 1 or 2 people in Latin America who want me. I'm not going to provide a point by point defense of Bush, because I can't defend all his policies, especially economic. Your Salvadoran in-laws sound like my kind of people. As to the Salvadoran economy, I concede you may have more of an insight. But I would think the falling dollar would be making their exports more competitive, since it is their currency. I just can't swallow the line that Bush is the cause of all evil in the world. Specifically, that Bush is responsible for Chavez. In the past 10 years I've made about 7 trips through Latin America. The most recent was this January when I toured the Coffee Zone of Colombia. Bogota, Medellin, Cartagena are booming. But, the growth needs to be spread to other parts of the country. A task that will be much easier when Farc is history. I was in Medellin the day of the massive anti-Farc protest. A very emotional day. I remember one t-shirt vividly. Farc El Pueblo No Te Quiere
wow... someone took econ 101 Im going to take a line from tex here: "check out a book" or something looking at the coffee fields in Colombia does not mean that everybody in Colombia is benifiting... (in fact the bigger the fields ussually means the fewer the farmers) check out some books on neoliberalism in Latin America, and look at the stats that explore the rates of slum development in Latin America (NACLA had a great issue on urban LA a few months ago). the US initiated SAPs accross Latin America and various FTAs have screwed over millions of farmers and workers. As for the protest against the FARC... there was also a smaller but significant protest a few days later against the paramilitaries who own nearly 5M hectares of farm/ranch land in Colombia.
Maybe you should get off campus and travel down there. Honestly, I'd recommend anyone to travel to Colombia. The security situation is vastly improved.
That is true, every Latin American country is full of corruption at all levels, but based on my personal experience, of countries I've visited and done business with, the only country worse than Venezuela is Paraguay.
Bah, the US is more corrupt than Chile. I hate it when they throw us all in the same bag. On the other hand, it's amazing how Americans have this 'squeaky clean' image of their country when it's not necessarily that way. Big bad USA terrorizing the poor South American countries, boohoo. I'm the first to denounce the injustices that the US has committed in Latin America, but as far as FTAs are concerned, Latin American countries have nothing to blame but themselves. These things are negotiated... if the business deal is not ideal, why go though with it? I love it how you attempt to minimize what FARC has done by comparing them favorably against the paramilitaries, who wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for this terrorist organizations. Yes, FARC is at Al Qaeda's level. Maybe if you stop blaming everything on the US and his 'puppet' Uribe and focus more on facts you wouldn't be so off about everything.
Stax...I don't know how much time you've actually spent in Latin America versus studying it in books. The bloodbath of the 80's politician assasinations are a period blurred by who the culprits were, and they're motivations. Remember 2 decades have past since this time, a time when anti-communism was hyper. Also, you fail to mention that during that period of time, many mainstream politicians were assinated in the bloodbath of the gov't hunting Escobar. Why don't you mention that??? Not conducive to your views? The vast poverty you refer to is valid but do you REALLY believe that Uribe can turn that macroeconomic reality in such a time period? Particularly when the insecurity, created by the terrorist FARC, makes international investment difficult? Oil companies are afraid to explore for reserves because of FARC harrasment, even Chiquita banana is in trouble due to their extortion. Colombia is on a 'no go' list for many companies until these terrorists are neutralized. Unfortunately that is priority # 1. Without such foreign investment to create jobs, how can Colombia help it's poor prosper? Their are little opportunities. FARC does not bargain in good faith. They blew it by their activities when the gov't did concede to a demilitarized zone. Why haven't you mentioned that? The gov't ceded an area the size of Switzerland to these terrorists to bargain. Also, there are former guerillas, including senators, who have entered political life and have not been attacked. Why don't you mention that? Regardless of what happened in the past, COlombia cannot go on with FARC. THey must be annihilated unless they stop their armed assault. Your criticism of Uribe despite his advancement of security in Colombia, such a fundamental piece of a country's ability to prosper, I expose you to bias. And by the way, in case you haven't read this in your books, the average COlombian rejects FARC as they are no longer considered to be struggling for political change but rather to protect their lucrative illegal enterprise ie coca production, kidnapping, extortion etc.
Re: stax avoids an ass-kicking I have been negativley assumed as an American in Peru, Mexico, and in Haiti... Every time faces went from looking pissed off to smiles when I said I was from Canada.
So who were the winners and losers over the whole drama? IMO Biggest winner: Chavez. I think Colombia really has evidence to make his life miserable with charges in court to aiding a global terrorist org. I think that is why he pulled his puppet's strings the way he did. That is why he stuck his nose so deep in this mess. Next winner: Uribe: He stature and popularity has grown even more with Colombians. His class act in the face of public insult from the other clowns elevates his stature. Losers: Correa -- you can see his strings from his extremities. His initial tone and attitude were vastly different from the initial 24-48 hours after the incident until after Chavez had a chance to intruct him and pinpoint the rist. Ortega -- a ridicule to the Nicaraguan people. Breaks off diplomatic relations one day and hugs the next. What an unmitigated jacka$$.
chibchab, I didnt realize that when referencing UP persecution in the 80s I had to mention all of the other assasinations, my post could have taken alot of time if I had to cover Colombia's entire history... My point as I keep suggesting... IS NOT TO SUPPORT FARC, YES THEY NEED TO BE STOPPED... all Ive been getting at is that it is important to look beyond FARC and see that the problem goes much further beyond. Go ahead and label me as "biased" Im sorry that I dont believe that Uribe is Colombia's grand saviour... I guess that makes me a FARC supporter or something As for the demiliarized zone and failed negotiations with the terrorists, I dont know how anything I said supported the FARC so I didnt realize I had to paint them as evil when Ive already said I think they should be stopped... but I guess I should flog the dead horse like everybody else and just view the FARC as the only thorn in Colombia's development. Please tell me how foreign investment in the form of massive foreign farms and plantations will benifit what is left of subsistance farming in Colombia or those that live in the slums, i dont think that, at least in the Case of coffee (a plant that takes 5 years to develop) these massive farms will supply jobs for all of those people. I never suggested that Uribe should have had Colombia up to a no poverty level by now... but if you want to blow what I say out of proportion I guess I can see how you thought so. My point was simply that if social inequalities and unemployment were combated as much as he combats the FARC, the FARC's whole "help the poor" socialist platform would be pretty much void, because the government would be doing a great job looking out for the interests ALL Colombians... Once again I should expand this so it doesnt get blown out of proportion again... this does NOT mean that Uribe should not fight the FARC... what I mean is that the problem is not just FARC... If the US can fork out so much money to battle FARC why cant it help finance social betterment in Colombia such as education for the poor, creating job opportunities through some land redistribution, or other great initiatives. I think if a displaced farmer, or an unemployed teenager with no hope of upward mobility were given that hope, the FARC would run out of recruits and more FARC members would leave FARC.
Their can only be one top priority. And let's acknowledge other advancements made by Uribe. HOw about Canada stepping up and financing some of this development?
If I was PM of Canada I would... in fact as a member of our Conservative party I was actually a little pissed at my own party over the fact that in the Canada-Colombia FTA there was not more of help from Canada to deal with these problems... I think that if we're going to take their resources and all that, we should do our part in bettering their country and trying to minimize the fallout that often attaches itself to FTAs.
Uribe has also fought the Paras. He's done a remarkable job forcing them to demobilize and disarm. Many of their leaders are in jail. Yes, remnants still operate as criminal gangs. But, if you look back at the situation he inherited in 2002, he's been the best leader Colombia has had since Bolivar. His approval ratings are up around 80%.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/09/wfarc109.xml this is an interesting report, just thought Id share.
You're only mentioning UP politician's assasinations, to me, suggested they had been the sole victims during that time period. As if they where the only ones to be targeted. I read it that way and found it misleading/bias. Why do you assume the foreign investment I suggest would be in the form of massive foreign farms and plantations? There are many educated people in Colombia that could work in upwardly mobile occupations if companies weren't afraid of the insecurity and actually invested in Colombia. As for your simplistic characterization of US foreign policy..."either you're with us or against us" Canada didn't send troops to Iraq (rightly so), yet American bombs aren't reigning up there, are they? You don't think that Uribe is Colombia's grand saviour...fair enough...how do you reconcile the fact he has astronomical approval ratings in Colombia? Who has better perspective to say who COlombia's saviour is? You in Canada living in the safety provided by your government and the US or the COlombian people, living the struggle in COlombia?????
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/i-fell-in-love-with-a-female-assassin-791978.html 'I fell in love with a female assassin' They met on a train and fell in love. Then Jason P Howe discovered that his girlfriend Marylin was leading a secret double life – as an assassin for right-wing death squads in Colombia's brutal civil war. With their story set to become a major Hollywood film, he recalls an extraordinary, doomed romance
stax avoids an ass-kicking Still, doesn't sound like you were about to get your ass kicked, then all turned rosy when you turned out to be an Albertan.