Showing posts with label commentary -- latin america. Show all posts
Showing posts with label commentary -- latin america. Show all posts

Monday, November 23, 2009

US Builds Up Its Bases In Oil-Rich South America


From The Independent:

From the Caribbean to Brazil, political opposition to US plans for 'full-spectrum operations' is escalating rapidly

The United States is massively building up its potential for nuclear and non-nuclear strikes in Latin America and the Caribbean by acquiring unprecedented freedom of action in seven new military, naval and air bases in Colombia. The development – and the reaction of Latin American leaders to it – is further exacerbating America's already fractured relationship with much of the continent.

Read more ....

My Comment: Hmmmm ....

The United States is massively building up its potential for nuclear and non-nuclear strikes in Latin America and the Caribbean ....

Independent's reporter Hugh O'Shaughnessy is either insane or he is completely ignorant of Latin American history and politics .... or both.

The idea that President Obama has authorized the establishment of U.S. bases in Colombia to build up its potential for nuclear and non-nuclear strikes in Latin America and the Caribbean strains one's imagination or believability.

The idea that U.S. warships would also attack Brazilian oil platforms that are managed by American and Brazilian companies made me laugh for a few minutes. Yup .... the U.S. Navy attacking American oil platform managers and workers.

The rest of this article is just as absurd and silly to read .... but this is now the standard of Labor journalism in Great Britain.

On a serious note, Latin America's number one problem are the many narco wars that are now impacting almost every country in the region. With tens of thousands being killed on an annual basis, the U.S. presence is unfortunately too little and too late. If present trends continue, every country in Central America and almost all of the countries in South America will be fighting .... on some level .... a bloody drug war.

Unfortunately, when papers like the Independent spend more time on reporting on stories that the U.S. may be positioning their nuclear forces to attack South American targets .... instead of focusing on the drug wars and the carnage that it produces for the people of Latin America (especially in Central America and the northern part of South America) .... this disconnect from reality will continue, but only for the readers of Britain's Independent newspaper.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Latin America's Swing To The Right -- A Commentary

From The Guardian:

Progressive parties across Latin America can't find charismatic leaders and are losing ground to their rightwing opponents.

A new political trend is taking shape in Latin America. For the past six years or so, international political talk about the region has been all about voters' swirl to the left. The new and under-reported story is the re-emergence of the right.

Chile, Uruguay and Brazil are the three countries in the region that best epitomise the mellow, well-behaved left that the international right is willing to praise from time to time – as opposed to Ecuador, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Bolivia. Their governments are seen as financially responsible, have a good number of socially-friendly policies and the three presidents – Michelle Bachelet, Tabaré Vázquez and Lula – are both respected abroad and very popular at home.

Read more ....

My Comment: When you look at old men like the Fidel Brothers running Cuba as a personal fiefdom for the past 50 years. Venezuela's Chavez producing (repeatedly) 6 hour lectures on TV. Nicaragua's Ortega's allegations of pedophilia. Ecuador's President Rafael Correa infatuation and past support of narco groups like FARC. Bolivia's Morales support of coca farmers.

From my vantage point .... these is nothing to be impressed with such a gang of "leaders". Take the power of the state that they control, and each and everyone of these men will just become pathetic caricatures of some cartoon character.