Saturday, December 12, 2009

Quote of the day: Hillary Clinton

"If people want to flirt with Iran, they should take a look at what the consequences might well be for them. And we hope that they will think twice."

Hillary Clinton while discussing Latin America. Because that whole "threaten Latin American countries who deviate from our Middle East policy" worked so well for George W. Bush.

8 comments:

pc 10:45 AM  

Who do you think that was primarily aimed at? Hard to think she would be warning Brazil so aggressively, but I'd thought we already learned our lesson about the fruitlessness of getting into rhetorical squabbles with Venezuela during the first half of the Bush years.

Also a silly comment because, what are we going to do? It's hard to imagine that we would levy penalties on Brazil because Lula and Ahmadenijad are friends. So what are the "consequences"?

Anonymous,  11:22 AM  

It's hard to imagine, but not impossible. And US penalties on Brasil could have a pretty big consequences.

But I don't think it will ever reach that. There are other things the US can do, such as blocking Brasil in the UN, for example. The reality is that, for all the nonsense one heras about 'US decline", we remain pretty powerful.

Defensores de Democracia 11:43 AM  

Ms Hillary Clinton gives some sound declarations about Latin America and I get very sad and worried about dictators and irresponsibility in the Region :

I am told that Mr Joe Biden is a dove next to Mr Obama, and that Ms Hillary Clinton is the hawk next to the President.

Hillary wasn't aggressive or threatening against Latin America in her declarations, she is a good friend of all Western Hemisphere countries according to my knowledge. Ms Clinton is not the "Ugly American" or Imperialist with a big stick. What she says is common sense and good advice of not mixing with bad companies.

I agree with her that is a bad idea for countries from South America to befriend Iran ( or North Korea ) and that it also may hurt the USA.

The Latin Nations should be trying to build peace quietly and secretly by means of Diplomacy and help the USA to get out of the swamp of the Islamic Countries, to achieve peace with honor and that all combatants depose arms.

I am saddened and worried by the conflicts in the South Caribbean and close to Panama ( Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, etc ... )

I pray to God that Chavez, Correa, Ortega and Evo are only passing birds ( migratory rara avis ) but some days I get depressed thinking that these guys are going to stay, or that they are going to leave successors.

What if my prayers are not heard and these most irresponsible guys continue with their "Nuclear Energy" via Russia and Iran ??? .... And with their vulgarity and aggressivity against neighbors and the USA ??

I would like friendship between the nations of the Western Hemisphere from the Artic Polar Bears to the penguins of Antartica.

I laugh at the Fears or Racists and Right Wing Extremists that fear that the USA is going to merge with other nations, and that America is going to dissolve in a melting pot of Third Worlders. I am astonished at their irrationality, ignorance and naivete.

I laugh at the Illusions and Delusions of those that think that there can be something good in Chavez, Correa and Ortega. I don't count Fidel Castro because he is a mummy or zombie by now.
Finally, I pray to God that Immigration Problems are solved rationally and don't become a generator of Hatred, Fear, Racism, Idiotic Attempts at Progroms, etc...

I am not advocating open borders, or keep everybody, those are the Greatest Fears of the Paranoid, fed by the Media Hate Merchants.


The Future of Foreign Policies :

Prophesizing.com

Vicente Duque

Anonymous,  11:48 AM  

Here's an interesting view from Venezuela:

http://www.elmundo.com.ve/notas.asp?id=19N1&ed=2009x12x11&es=2

Anonymous,  2:29 PM  

The good news is that Clinton realizes what the main threat to democracy ion the region is:

In the policy forum, Clinton also reiterated U.S. "worry" about countries in Latin America where leaders who, after being democratically elected, move to undermine constitutional rule, citing in particular Venezuela and Nicaragua.

"We need to make it absolutely an article of faith that any leader elected must not just further his own position, and his power base, but respect the right of the people who elected him and build up the democracy so that democratic development and economic development can go hand in had," she said.

Justin Delacour 5:28 AM  

Hard to think she would be warning Brazil so aggressively

I don't think that's a warning to Brazil. Hillary isn't stupid enough to threaten Brazil like that. To be sure, she is sorta stupid, but I don't think she's that stupid.

If the United States were to really start messing with Brazil, it would risk creating a real counter-balancing alliance that spans continents. The U.S. really doesn't want to deal with that. I think cooler heads in Washington know that they are better off keeping the diplomatic channels open with Brazil.

Slave Revolt,  10:52 AM  

Well, that the inept and ignoble Hillary has to keep on the same path that has brought the US empire to such wide disrepute--really, this points up the position of weakness that the empire is now operating.

To be sure, they have huge guns and a brainwashed army of uneducated people that will murder millions (to defend 'freedom' lol), but in the area of policies and ideology the current reality sees the empire in decline.

We can only hope that the empire will continue to decline, and that Europe will become more independent and the world more multipolar. In that sense, China and India coming to ascendence as the US declines is a welcome trend.

leftside 12:57 PM  

Although Hillary made sure to exclude Brazil from the criticism on Iran (though they did the same thing as Venezuela and Bolivia), Brazil has made clear in statements that they don't appreciate being told who they can talk with and do business with. To make the point clear, Arturo Valenzuela was not even granted an audience with Brazil's Foreign Minister, let alone Lula.

Under the heading “(Brazilian Chancellor) Celso Amorim minimizes the visit of Obama envoy” the influential Folha de Sao Paulo indicates that according to Brazilian diplomatic sources the (Hillary) decision “was seen as a message to United States”.

And on the coup: FM Amorim said Thursday that the US had been “extremely tolerant” with the coup and the de facto regime.

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