Argentina Wants Cuba to Pay Up

For all the talk of leftist solidarity in Latin America, money still talks. Argentina is angry about debt, and applauded Vladimir Putin's announcenment that it would write off about 90% of Cuba's debt to Russia. But when it comes to Cuba owing Argentina money, ideology goes out the window. Amazingly, that debt dates back to Peronism's last days before the 1973 coup. Cristina Fernández (like all her predecessors) wants it paid up.

Yes, there is plenty of hypocrisy in here. More important, though, is the reminder that states pursue their own interests, which clashes with ideology regularly. Ideology often loses. That's true for all states. Left, right, or anywhere in between.