Before the celebrations of Evo Morales' inaugaration as President in Bolivia have even died down, the US has already begun the propaganda process of labeling him, along with other left wing leaders in Latin America, as threats to democracy. Meanwhile, US moves to claw back some of the control it has lost in the region are already under way, and as always, their methods are anti-democratic and subversive.
In June 2004, 10 South American nations had $330 million in economic and military aid from the US canceled as punishment for refusing to sign bi-lateral agreements granting immunity from prosecution to American soldiers. On May 6th of 2005 however, Paraguay agreed to US demands and signed a deal to allow American military personel and civilian employees an 18 month stay in the country. On May 26, another agreement was signed, granting immuunity from prosecution to US military forces for crimes committed within the country's borders and from prosecution by the international criminal court.
"This agreement grants U.S. soldiers complete legal immunity from some of their actions while they are in the country, affording them the same privileges as diplomats as well as leaving them free from prosecution for any damages inflicted on the public health, the environment or the country’s resources. According to Servicio Paz y Justicia (SERPAJ) Paraguay, the Paraguayan National Congress passed this resolution allowing for the entry of U.S. forces with no debate, behind closed doors and with the public largely unaware of the entire transaction."
On July 1st, 500 fully equipped American troops landed in Paraguay and took up station at a base near Mariscal Estigarribia, a small city 200 kilometers from the Bolivian border. According to the council of hemispheric affairs (coha), the group was the first of at least 13 which will visit the base (which can house up to 16,000 troops) until the agreement runs out in December 2006.
"Jose Ruiz, Public Affairs officer for the U.S. Armed Forces Southern Command office, told COHA that “some military training will be operational in nature,” and the goal is to better equip Paraguayans to deal with the threats of narcotrafficking, terrorism, government corruption and poverty. "
These claims have been greeted with scepticism, and the move has alarmed Paraguay's neighbours in the region, particularly Bolivia, Brazil and Argentina, who claim that the agreements are paving the way for the US to set up a permanent military base there. (The FBI has also announced that it will be setting up an office in Paraguay later this year.)
There is an excellent article by W.T. Whitney jnr. to be found HERE, which outlines the political context and the implications of the agreement between the US and Paraguay, and the causes for alarm.
As Argentine Nobel laureate Adolfo Pérez Esquibel remarked: "Once the United States arrives, it takes a long time to leave ... and that really frightens me."
Yesterday, according to an article on venezuelaanalysis.com, Donald Rumsfeld compared Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez with Adolf Hitler, while John Negroponte, the head of American intelligence operations, alleged that Chavez was deepening ties with North Korea and Iran.
According to Rumsfeld,
“We've got Chavez in Venezuela with a lot of oil money. He's a person who was elected legally, just as Adolf Hitler was elected legally, and then consolidated power, and now is of course working closely with [Cuban leader] Fidel Castro and Mr. Morales [Bolivian President Evo Morales] and others. It concerns me."
Negroponte stated before an intelligence comittee,
“In Venezuela, President Chavez, if he wins reelection later this year, appears ready to use his control of the legislature and other institutions to continue to stifle the opposition, reduce press freedom, and entrench himself through measures that are technically legal, but which nonetheless constrict democracy. We expect Chavez to deepen his relationship with Castro (Venezuela provides roughly two-thirds of that island's oil needs on preferential credit terms). He also is seeking closer economic, military, and diplomatic ties with Iran and North Korea. Chavez has scaled back counter-narcotics cooperation with the US. Increased oil revenues have allowed Chavez to embark on an activist foreign policy in Latin America that includes providing oil at favorable repayment rates to gain allies, using newly created media outlets to generate support for his Bolivarian goals, and meddling in the internal affairs of his neighbors by backing particular candidates for elective office.”
A very useful association for Negroponte to make, because as the article notes,
"As the U.S. prepares to take actions against Iran in the very near future, publicly declaring a link between Venezuela and Iran, as well as North Korea, provides justification for an inclusion of Venezuela on the list of nations targeted by the Bush Administration for military intervention."
The irony is that the misleading language employed is clearly intended to paint the Venezuelan President (who enjoys a 77% approval rating) in the light of a dictator, but comes from two of the representatives of an administration that supported the failed coup against the democratically elected Chavez, and one of whom, Negroponte, ran South America's largest CIA station in the 80s in Honduras, directly responisible for countless atrocities through its role in supporting the contras in Nicaragua. Chavez and his left-wing allies, supposedly represent a threat to democracy, but as the article goes on to note, the real danger lies in the fact that,
"Rumsfeld and Negroponte represent the two entities in the United States that wage war: Defense and Intelligence. "
With this in mind, their comments have a certain ominous edge to them.
No comments:
Post a Comment