The Bush administration and Latin America
I'm glad I have Condoleezza Rice to set me straight, because I was under the impression that the Bush administration was unpopular in Latin America. From a Televisa interview:
You know, I think this President has really changed our approach to Latin America, which, quite frankly and sadly, for a while was seen through a Cold War prism. If you were from the left, you were against us, because that was associated somehow with the Cold War. We’ve wiped that away. And we have excellent relations with governments of the left and with governments of the right. The only thing in common is that they govern democratically, they’re trying to invest in their people, they are accountable to their people, they’re fighting corruption. And I think the United States has been a really good partner in Latin America (inaudible).
I wonder what that "inaudible" was all about. Perhaps coughing to suppress laughter. The same day (October 23) she had a press conference with Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Patricia Espinosa, where we learned the Bush administration is also totally uninterested in anyone's ideology.
The governments of Latin America come from a wide range along the ideological spectrum, and President Bush has made very clear that there is no ideological test for cooperation and friendship with the United States. We have excellent relations with governments from the left, we have excellent relations with governments from the right, we have excellent relations with the center. Whether you’re talking about Brazil or Chile or Uruguay, or you’re talking about Colombia or – we have a broad range. There is no ideological test.
She ran out of time, but had planned to discuss how strong the U.S. economy is, how McCain will win in a landslide, and how she wishes she had been governor of Alaska because that's how you get the best foreign policy experience.
5 comments:
I don't think the criticism is fair. The issue is not whether the "Latin street" supports the Bush Administration - clearly they do not. The point Rice is making is that the Bush Administration has good working relationships with left-of-center governments (Uruguay, Chile, Brazil). The Chileans, Uruguayans, and Brazilians would say the same thing.
I think it's an excellent point as a counter the Chavez-Castro-Correa-Ortega spin/nonsense.
No, her main point was that the administration is not ideological, which is laughable. Ideology defines which "leftist" governments it supports.
I'd say it's the other way around. It is the ideology of Chavez and the Chavez clones which decides if they are willing to interface with the American government. Washington's door is always open. It's not like Chavez has expressed an interest in interfacing with anyone in Washington.
Lula and Bachelet could have decided to govern in Chavez's style, but fortunately for their populace, they have taken a sounder middle of the road approach.
No, her main point was that the administration is not ideological, which is laughable. Ideology defines which "leftist" governments it supports.
That's a good point, but the point is applicable to more than just the Bush Administration. American policy-makers and social scientists often suggest that their foreign policy positions are not based on ideology, but the argument is invariably silly. Human beings cannot function without some form of ideology. One's norms and political judgments invariably have ideological roots and could not exist without them.
It is the ideology of Chavez and the Chavez clones which decides if they are willing to interface with the American government. Washington's door is always open. It's not like Chavez has expressed an interest in interfacing with anyone in Washington.
If you had watched Chavez closely, you would find that he was actually very measured in his criticisms of the Bush Administration prior to 2003 and that he does occasionally make diplomatic overtures. Chavez is much more pragmatic than most people think. His radicalism is calibrated to the ever-fluctuating balance of power. The Chavez government will defy the prerogatives of American policy-makers when it feels that it wields considerable economic clout and it will be more conciliatory towards American policy-makers when its clout declines.
One difference between Chavistas and American elites is that the Chavistas don't hide the fact that their actions are guided by socialist ideology, whereas American elites are forever in denial of the ideology that guides them.
Post a Comment