Latin America and Caribbean States Forge New Anti-American BLOC

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Latin and Caribbean leaders forge new BLOC

BY JIM WYSS jwyss@MiamiHerald.com
ASSOCIATED PRESS

The hemisphere formed a powerful new bloc of nations Saturday that stretches from Chile to Mexico, includes one out of every 10 people on the planet and is seeing surging growth and economic stability in a time of global turmoil.

The 33 members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC, vowed to push regional integration, boost commerce and form a common front against everything from global warming to the drug trade.

After two days of meetings in Venezuela, leaders signed the Caracas Declaration, which breathes life into an organization that includes every country in the region except the United States and Canada.

Chile will preside over the group in 2012, then Cuba in 2013.The event brought together a disparate group of nations with sometimes competing visions for the CELAC. Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia, among others, see the body as a tool to blunt U.S. influence in the region and rival the Organization of American States – which they accuse of being under U.S. sway.

Another faction, which includes Chile, Costa Rica and Colombia, expects the new body to work hand-in-hand with existing multilateral organizations. “This integration can’t be against anyone,” said Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. “It isn’t against the OAS…This integration is in favor of Latin America and the Caribbean. And if we play with a more proactive and positive attitude we will get much farther.”Santos said the new organization should focus on creating roads and infrastructure that would boost regional commerce among nations that still, by and large, look to the United States as their largest trade partner.

Chilean President Sebastián Piñeda, the group leader in 2012, said the CELAC should promote education, innovation and investment. He said the bloc is being formed as the region is poised to see economic growth of 5 percent this year and is enjoying financial stability that’s the envy of U.S. and Europe. “I am convinced that the 21st Century belongs to Latin America and the Caribbean,” he said. The CELAC was first proposed in 2010 during a meeting of regional leaders in Cancun.

Mexican President Felipe Calderón was the first speaker on Friday. He said the CELAC should tackle poverty, violence and organized crime. In particular, drug-consuming nations like the United States and Europe need to take more responsibility for the narcotics-fueled violence that has saddled Central America and the Caribbean with some of the planet’s highest homicide rates.Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega suggested that the CELAC “monitor and rate” the United States’ drug efforts – like the U.S. State Department does the region.“All the money, regardless of by how much it’s multiplied, and all the blood, no matter how much is spilled,” will not stop the drug trade “as long as the north continues consuming,” Ortega said.

Initially, the CELAC will be run by the trio of Venezuela, Chile and Cuba. However, several Caribbean nations asked to be included in the steering group and Panama asked for a permanent secretariat to be established. While the event focused on regional issues, it was also a venue for national gripes. Ortega blamed Washington for financing protests against his questioned reelection, and Bolivia asked the CELAC to intervene on its behalf to regain access to the Pacific, which it lost to Chile in 1879. Ecuador President Rafael Correa used much of his opening statement to accuse the Ecuadorean press of operating with impunity on behalf of his enemies.

Press groups and the OAS’s Inter-American Commission on Human Rights have warned that Correa is using the courts to muzzle and intimidate the media. But Correa’s position resonated with other leaders. Bolivia, Panama, Nicaragua and Suriname said they faced similar press attacks. The media is “one of the instruments always used against leaders that do not walk the walk or dance the dance other countries want them to,” Suriname President Dési Bourterse said.Colombia’s Santos asked members not to acknowledge a plea from his nation’s two main rebel groups, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, and the National Liberation Army, asking the CELAC to press for peace talks. Santos said the rebels have “tricked” the country before, but if they do show a genuine willingness to talk “I will be the first one to ask for your help.”The event was particularly meaningful for Cuba, which was barred from the OAS for more than 40 years and then refused to join when it was invited to do so in 2009.

As Cuban President Raul Castro was introduced to the forum Friday, he received a standing ovation and the crowd broke out into a chorus of “Viva Fidel!” referring to his older brother.Castro said the CELAC should work to make Latin America “a region of peace and free of all foreign military” – a reference to the U.S. military presence at Guantánamo Bay in southeast Cuba.

The event was also a showcase for Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez who had been sidelined by an undisclosed form of cancer. Looking bloated but energetic during the event, Chávez said he is “free of malignant cells” despite those who claim “to have my medical team infiltrated and say the cancer has embedded in my bone marrow.”When Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar gave Chávez a bottle of “holy water” from a sacred mountain in her country, he vowed to visit the site and take a swim.Chávez said that for the last 200 years the region has tried to embrace the dream of liberator Simon Bolivar and form a common front. But he said there are forces out there who don’t want a unified Latin America.“Let’s not let them derail us,” Chávez said. “There are people that spend their days thinking about how to create war between us. We’ve had enough of fighting.”

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Mexican President Felipe Calderón was the first speaker on Friday. He said the CELAC should tackle poverty, violence and organized crime. In particular, drug-consuming nations like the United States and Europe need to take more responsibility for the narcotics-fueled violence that has saddled Central America and the Caribbean with some of the planet’s highest homicide rates.Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega suggested that the CELAC “monitor and rate” the United States’ drug efforts – like the U.S. State Department does the region.“All the money, regardless of by how much it’s multiplied, and all the blood, no matter how much is spilled,” will not stop the drug trade “as long as the north continues consuming,” Ortega said.

LMAO! What a bunch of louts and ignoramuses. If there wasn't any DRUGS produced in those nations, there'd be nothing to consume.

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Hugo Chavez and his new Anti-U.S. Group

Por Wasa Ruiz

• 19 de diciembre 2011 04:59 AM EST

President Hugo Chavez has formally launched his new anti-U.S. bloc, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC. The group, which includes all the countries in the Americas except for the U.S. and Canada, was envisioned as an alliance to counter U.S. influence in the region.

It is not very difficult to understand what is really happening. Hugo Chavez is using the weapons of diplomacy this time with a clear intention to encourage more countries to join his cause against the United States.

"Only unity will make us free", Chavez told the more than two dozen heads of state at the group's first summit, held in Caracas last weekend. He said he wanted CELAC to become the premier regional forum, replacing the Washington based Organization of American States, which comprises all the countries in the Americas except Cuba.

Many experts in international affairs say this regional group could be dangerous in the hands of Chavez because of the authoritharian way of his administration in Venezuela and his lack of enthusiasm for dialogue.

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Free from what?

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Companion Threads:

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• Chavez Hails Strategic Alliances With Russia, China
• Chinese Army Nears USA's Borders
• China's Penetration in Latin America
• China Increases Foreign Military Training in Latin America
• China Roars in Latin America; U.S. Not Listening
• China Calling Shots in Central, South America Now
• China Poised To Take Over U.S. Base At Ecuador's Invitation
• China overtakes the US as Brazil's largest trading partner
• China, Columbia Agree to Cement Military Exchanges
• China, Venezuela To Advance Mutually Beneficial Energy Cooperation

China-Latin American Ties Closer after A Year of Strong Growth

2011-12-27 13:36:46 Xinhua Web Editor: Zhangxu
by Li Dewang, Elisa Godinez

In the outgoing year, China-Latin America relations have undergone sound development, with strengthened political dialogue and increased economic cooperation.

A number of high-level exchanges highlight closer ties, including Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping's visit to Cuba, Chile and Uruguay in June and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's visit to China in April.

In addition, the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between China and Costa Rica became effective in August while last month the 5th China-Latin America Business Summit opened in Peru.

All these point to a closer bond between China and Latin America, both politically and economically.

During his speech at the headquarters of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in June, Xi said at the beginning of the second decade of the new century, China and Latin American countries are faced with new development opportunities and should conduct more cooperation based on mutual benefit.

FAVORABLE CONDITIONS
China is the largest trade partner of Brazil and Chile and the second largest partner of Argentina, Peru, Costa Rica and Cuba.

Latin America is the second most important investment destination for Chinese businesses, attracting more than 30 billion U.S. dollars, or 12.5 percent of China's total overseas investment.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, trade between China and Latin America stood at 183.07 billion dollars in 2010 with an annual average increase of 28.4 percent.

In an interview with Xinhua, ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Barcena said China's rapid growth have boosted its economic relations with Latin America.

Augusto de la Torre, chief economist for Latin American and Caribbean at the World Bank, also believes that China, whose economy is highly complementary with that of South America, has "directly or indirectly" helped the region to keep a robust growth.

STRONG TRACK RECORDS

The year of 2011 has seen strong track records in trade ties between China and South America.

Marco Aurelio Garcia, Brazil's presidential foreign affairs advisor, said "this year was a very positive one," with the region's overall trade with China hitting a new record.

Argentina's trade with China in the first ten months of 2011 reached a historic high of 14.57 billion dollars.

China is Argentina's second-largest trade partner after Brazil and Chinese investments in Argentina's energy, petrochemistry, transportation, agribusiness, and mining sectors are particularly strong over the past two years.

In the third quarter of 2011, China became a major destination for Chilean exports, accounting for 21 percent of the total.

A free trade agreement signed in 2009 has given a strong boost to the trade between China and Peru.

During the first nine months of 2011, Peruvian exports to China registered a 16-percent year-on-year growth.

Peru's trade ministry estimated that in 2012, the country's trade with China will exceed 15 billion dollars, 15.38 percent higher than 13 billion dollars estimated for this year.

BROAD PROSPECTS

Thanks to its financial links with Asian countries in general and China in particular, Latin America has weathered through the world economic crisis, said Jose Angel Gurria, secretary general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

At the moment, Latin American countries have shown interest in renewing cooperation with China to work on strategic projects.

China, likewise, is also ready to continue to work with the region to promote an integrated development, with the goal to enlarge its trade scale and optimize its export structure.

On Dec. 2, as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) was founded, Chinese President Hu Jintao sent a congratulatory message.

In his message, Hu said that the establishment of CELAC is a major milestone in regional integration and that China appreciates the positive role of Latin American and Caribbean countries in international and regional affairs.

China believes that the establishment of the community will make important contributions to unity and coordination in the region as well as joint efforts to counter global challenges, he said.

During the 2008 global financial turmoil when Latin America saw its trade with the West dropped, its trade with China continued to grow.

Currently Latin American exports to China are mainly raw materials, but the portion of value-added products is growing.

Given the current trend, the next year is sure to see a strong momentum for cooperation between China and Latin America.

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Latin America File: Russia hails formation of Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, “anti-imperialist� regional bloc embraces Cuba, excludes USA and Canada, widely perceived as counterweight to OAS; Pravda praises “socialist tide sweeping� South America

Leave a Comment Posted by periloustimes1 on January 27, 2012



- Nicaraguan Delegation Arrives in Moscow to Clinch Agreements Worth US$600 Million, Revive Historic Relationship between Soviets and Sandinistas

- Red Cocaine Update: Mexican Navy Intercepts 195 Tons of Crystal Meth Precursor Chemical, Shipment Originated from China, Port of Lazaro Cardenas Controlled by Beijing Buddy Li Ka-shing

On January 9, the foreign ministers of Chile, Cuba, and Venezuela met in Santiago, capital of the first country, to discuss the implementation of resolutions passed by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Spanish acronym CELAC). CELAC is an international body formally founded in Caracas at a two-day summit in early December. Notably, it excludes the USA and Canada. The ministers meeting in Santiago this month included Chile’s Alfredo Moreno, Cuba’s Bruno RodrÃ*guez, and Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro (pictured above).

Chile, whose president is billionaire Sebastian Pinera, currently holds the rotating chair of CELAC. For their parts, Cuba is a single-party communist dictatorship while President Hugo Chavez has incrementally communized Venezuela since 1999. Some of the region’s Red Axis leaders have plainly declared that CELAC is an “anti-imperialist� and “anti-capitalist� counterweight to the US-dominated Organization of American States, headquartered in Washington DC. Together, the CELAC nations have nearly 600 million people and a gross domestic product of about $US6 trillion.

In Caracas, Nicaragua’s past/present president and veteran communist Daniel Ortega triumphed over CELAC’s formation. “It’s the death sentence for the Monroe Doctrine,� he said, referring to a 19^th-century US policy that many Latin Americans regard as pretext for the USA’s “meddling� in their region. Western Hemisphere analysts observe that “the new body shows the region’s wish to move out of the shadow of Washington.� The inaugural session of CELAC, for example, ratified Argentina’s claim to sovereignty over the British-ruled Falkland Islands–previously contested 30 years ago in a brief war provoked by the military junta then ruling in Buenos Aires–and condemned 50-year-old US sanctions against Cuba.

Not surprisingly, Russia, which is closely allied with the leftist-communist regimes in Latin America and the Caribbean Basin–especially Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua but also Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil and Argentina–hailed the creation of CELAC. “The new structure, added to other regional and multilateral mechanisms, will contribute to increased cooperation among the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean,� the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a communique. “The new organization can be an important factor for the formation of a multipolar world order. Russia is ready to undertake cooperation and political dialogue with it to strengthen the equilibrium of international relations,� stated the Kremlin, ever eager to demote the USA.

Grappling with the internal crises resulting from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia ignored Latin America throughout that decade. In 2000, however, newly minted Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare trip to Cuba and, eight years later, his successor, Dmitry Medvedev toured the region, visiting Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, and Cuba. For its part, Moscow has hosted Chavez, Ortega (both during and after the Cold War), Cuba’s Raul Castro (both during and after the Cold War), Bolivia’s Evo Morales, Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, and Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez Kirchner.

Russia has made no secret concerning its exportation of arms to the Western Hemisphere, continuing a long tradition extending back to the Cuban Missile Crisis; rebuilding old ideological and commercial alliances, such as with Nicaragua’s second Sandinista regime; and exploiting oil and gas reserves in joint ventures with Venezuela and Cuba.

On January 23, 2012, Russian communist organ Pravda enthusiastically endorsed the “Latin American power trio� consisting of Chavez, Morales, and Ecuador’s Rafael Correa, offering the following praise and worship: “As a socialist tide sweeps the Latin American continent, three outstanding leaders of the New Left have emerged, the power trio of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, Bolivia’s Evo Morales and Rafael Correa in Ecuador.�

Pravda pontificates: “Twenty-first century socialism in Latin America is founded on strong moral and ethical principles such as fraternity and solidarity.� The same source plays up the left-nationalist component of South America’s 13-year-old Bolivarian Revolution: “Socialism in Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela features a strong patriotic component, inspired by the historical experience of fighting for liberty against the Spanish invaders. Simon Bolivar – El Libertador – has become a common national symbol.�

Finally, Pravda notes with satisfaction the devotion of Latin America’s Red Axis leaders to Russia, Cuba, China, and Iran, as well as regional integration:

Chavez, Morales and Correa are charismatic leaders who have gained global admiration and support. They favor a multi-polar world, anti-imperialism and anti-capitalism. They share strong ties to other Latin American countries, Cuba, China, Russia and Iran.

Latin American strength is founded on unification. Chavez, Morales and Correa are fiery champions of ALBA (Alliance for the Peoples of our America), UNASUR (Union of South American Nations) and the newly created CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States). Latin America has its own virtual currency, the SUCRE, and its own regional bank, BANCO DEL SUR.

Something tells me, though, that even if a Republican returns to the White House in 2013, Washington’s response to the “Red Spread� south of the border will be piecemeal at best. The Oval Office needs the robust ideological presence of another Ronald Reagan, in our opinion, America’s last great president.

Incidentally, Communist China, which had virtually no presence in Latin America and the Caribbean during the Cold War, has carved out new niches in this region, including one that suggests a “Red Cocaine� scenario.

Earlier this month, the Mexican navy reported the seizure of 195 tons of methylamine, a chemical used to make the synthetic drug methamphetamine, as well as synthetic cocaine. Mexican authorities found 12 shipping containers full of this precursor chemical at the Pacific coast port of Lazaro Cardenas. The shipment originated in Red China and was destined for Guatemala and Nicaragua. Mexican navy officials said the drug cartels terrorizing their country have expanded their methamphetamine operations to Guatemala. Not so coincidentally, the port facility at Lazaro Cardenas is operated by Hutchison-Whampoa, which is owned by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, who in turn is closely allied with the Communist Party of China.

According to a 2011 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the world’s main producers of synthetic drugs remain the Netherlands and Myanmar (Burma), but manufacture has lately spread to Latin America.

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The Great Day of Annihilation

Category Archives: CELAC and China

Apr 16, 2012 Despite Obama charm, Americas summit boosts U.S. isolation

Posted by KJ on April 23, 2012

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...83F0UD20120417

President Barack Obama sat patiently through diatribes, interruptions and even the occasional eye-ball roll at the weekend Summit of the Americas in an effort to win over Latin American leaders fed up with U.S. policies.
He failed.

The United States instead emerged from the summit in Colombia increasingly isolated as nearly 30 regional heads of state refused to sign a joint declaration in protest against the continued exclusion of communist-led Cuba from the event.

The rare show of unity highlights the steady decline of Washington’s influence in a region that has become less dependent on U.S. trade and investment thanks economic growth rates that are the envy of the developed world and new opportunities with China.

It also signals a further weakening of the already strained hemispheric system of diplomacy, built around the Organization of American States (OAS) which has struggled to remain relevant during a time of rapid change for its members.

Seen as an instrument of U.S. policy in Latin America during the Cold War, the OAS has lost ground in a region that is no longer content with being the backyard of the United States.

“It seems the United States still wants to isolate us from the world, it thinks it can still manipulate Latin America, but that’s ending,� said Bolivian President Evo Morales, a fierce critic of U.S. policy in Latin America and staunch ally of Venezuela’s leftist leader Hugo Chavez.

“What I think is that this is a rebellion of Latin American countries against the United States.�

NEWFOUND UNITY

White House officials disagreed with the notion that the failure to agree on issues like Cuba signaled a new dynamic to U.S. relations within the hemisphere.

“We’ve had disagreements on those issues for decades,� a senior Obama aide said. “They are built into the equation.� Another official noted there was no signed statement at the 2009 summit, either.

In fairness to Obama, the lack of consensus had little to do with his conduct or even that of Secret Service agents whose indiscreet encounter with prostitutes in the beachside city of Cartagena, Colombia, overshadowed much of the proceedings.

He was in fact commended by several presidents for listening politely to political leaders, helping soften perception of U.S. officials as arrogant and domineering.

“I think it’s the first time I’ve seen a president of the United States spend almost the entire summit sitting, listening to the all concerns of all countries,� said Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

“This was a very valuable gesture by President Obama.�

At a joint news conference with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, Obama emphasized that his administration had made some changes to its policy toward Cuba already and was open to more if it saw more signs of democratic reforms.

“I’m not somebody who brings to the table here a lot of baggage from the past, and I want to look at all these problems in a new and fresh way,� he said.

But Obama’s staid charm was unable to paper over growing differences with the region.

Facing a tough re-election race this year, Obama had no room to compromise on the five-decade-old U.S. embargo on Cuba that is widely supported by conservatives in the United States, and particularly the anti-Castro exile community in Florida, a key state in a presidential vote.

U.S. insistence that Havana undertake democratic reforms before returning to the hemispheric family led to a clash with a united front of leftist and conservative governments that see Washington’s policy toward Cuba as a relic of the Cold War.

The unexpected result was a diplomatic victory for Havana.

The newfound regional unity on Cuba may augur a growing willingness across the political spectrum to challenge the U.S. State Department on thorny issues for years considered taboo.

That could include insistence that the United States assume greater responsibility for reducing consumption of illegal narcotics as an alternative to the bloody war on drugs and its rising toll on Latin America.

“From the so-called Washington consensus … toward a nascent consensus without Washington for a united Latin America,� tweeted Venezuela’s foreign ministry, referring to orthodox economic policies advocated by Washington in the 1990s.

NEW DIPLOMACY, NEW ECONOMY

The stark divide over Cuba – with 32 nations in favor of inviting it to future summits and only the United States and Canada opposed – will fuel arguments that the OAS is an outdated institution for regional diplomacy.

The OAS already faces competition from alternative forums such as the Union of South American nations (Unasur) and the Chavez-backed Community of Latin American and Caribbean states (Celac).

Despite the new winds blowing in regional diplomacy, economics is driving the changes as much as politics.

Once seen as monolithic block of basket-case economies dependent on U.S. support, Latin American countries are coveted investment destinations with sophisticated financial systems that have innovated in areas ranging from energy to aviation.

Chinese companies eager to pump oil, harvest soy and build badly needed infrastructure are showering them with offers of investment and financing.

With the U.S. economy still struggling to stay above water and foreign aid budgets seen dwindling, Washington has fewer sticks to brandish and fewer carrots to offer.

“This summit was a reminder, a wake-up call, that the traditional way of doing business vis-a-vis the region is eroding,� said Geoff Thale, program director at the Washington Office on Latin America.

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Russia, CELAC to bolster ties – official

Tags: CELAC, Russian-Venezuelan relations, Russian Foreign Ministry, Politics, Russia, News, World

Dec 4, 2011 12:21 Moscow Time

Hugo Chavez. Photo: EPA

Russia is ready to establish mutually advantageous relations with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Sunday.

The statement comes two days after a CELAC summit in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, which brought together 33 regional countries.

For his part, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez expressed hope that CELAC will successfully compete with the Organization of American States in the future.

The Beast Emerging? Russia says CELAC one more step to a one world government, wheat being seprated from the chaff

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Aaron Hutchins| 2 Comments

On December 3, all Latin American and Caribbean countries came together under CELAC (Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños, or Community of Latin American and Caribbean States).

The United States and Canada were intentionally left out. China has expressed support for CELAC, and so has Russia.

However, in the official Russian statement there is an ominous mention of a one world government: “The rise of the new system-forming integration structure proceeds in line with the formation of a polycentric world and the strengthening of the role of regions in the system of global governance, which meets the interests of the entire international community.�

The push for global dominance is an ancient one, but it is not the goal of only one group. There are several elite groups in our global societies that are pushing to take over the world (why do you think there’s so many wars throughout history?).

Obviously the formation of a new economic order in the Americas, one that excludes the U.S. and Canada, is a sign of the ‘wheat being separated from the chaff’. Do you know which camp you’re in (because for most of us powerless ‘commoners’ we really don’t have much choice)?

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Companion Threads:

• Venezuela to Prepare for War
• Southern Border Chessboard Involves Iran/Venezuela/Russia
• Russia finalize plans to integrate Cuba and Venezuela into Russian Strategic Forces
  
• Chavez Open To Russian Strategic Bombers Using Venezuelan Island
• Two TU-160 Strategic Bombers Land In Venezuela
• Cuba Trains Venezuela In Military, Communications
• Hezbollah opens base in Cuba
  
• Venezuela's Chavez Calls For Alliance With Russia
• Chavez Signs Anti-US Cooperation Pact with Iran Providing Bases in Venezuela
  
• Venezuela building drones with Iran, Russia, China
• Venezuela Wants Sub Fleet for Conflict with U.S.
• Honduras joins Venezuelan pact

American's dominance is on the wane in Latin America

• By Jayatilleke de Silva
• Sunday, 12 August 2012 00:00

During Bay of Pigs invasion

Last week we discussed how the United States is extending and fortifying its dominance in West Asia. But the growth of US dominance and hegemony is not a universal phenomenon. There are certain regions in which its dominance is on the wane. One such region is Latin America and the Caribbean. In this respect, one could recall an event that happened a fortnight ago though it was not much reported in the local media.

The Southern Market or the Mercosur had an extraordinary Summit on July 31 on Brazilia, Brazil. There it was decided to grant full membership to Venezuela that had been waiting to become a member since 2007.

This was possible due to the suspension of Paraguay following the ouster of constitutionally elected President Ferdinand Lugo by a parliamentary coup few weeks ago. Paraguay had been blocking the entry of Venezuela for political reasons.

Mercosur is a free trade area with a common external tariff and a common external trade policy. Mercosur includes besides Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. Together, the Mercosur is the world’s biggest food producer and biodiversity reservoir in the world. Its regional GDP exceeds US $ 3.3 billion.

The United States has long held the view that the incorporation of Venezuela would change the nature of Mercosur. In fact, such was the consensus at a meeting of US Ambassadors in the region held in Rio de Janeiro in 2007 May, according to Wikileaks revelations.

Arrogance
The United States has no capacity to oppose the Venezuelan entry into the Mercosur as a full member. Thus it issued a statement that any country has a right to enter into any alliance of its choice. This is a long way from its behavior a few decades ago where it threatened countries in the region that had relations with Cuba following the triumph of the Revolution.

Think tanks in the influential Foreign Relations Council in the United States have openly referred to the waning influence of the United States in the region and called for review of its foreign policy towards its southern neighbors.

One could recall the arrogance with which it regarded Latin America as its ‘backyard’ and declared that other powers should keep off the region lest they be considered as acts hostile to the United States. That was under the infamous Monroe Doctrine proclaimed in 1922 by President Monroe. It was this doctrine and its corollary added by President Roosevelt that was used for many aggressions in Latin America including the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba and the nuclear standoff with the Soviet Union on Cuba.

Boycott
The failure of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and the birth of several regional organizations principally opposed to American dominance such as the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), and Conference of States of Latin America and the Caribbean (CELAC) testify to the new independence that is being acquired by countries in the region. Whereas it was not possible for Latin American and Caribbean nations to meet together without the participation and guidance of Washington for so many decades, now the CELAAC comprises all 34 nations of the region and excludes the United States. The future of the Organization of American States (OAS) itself, on the other hand, is doubtful for several countries have given notice that they would boycott its next Summit if Cuba continues to be excluded from it.

Further several countries in the region have strengthened their relations with Russia, China, India and other emerging powers much to the annoyance of the US. Suffice to mention the purchase of military hardware from some of these countries and joint Venezuelan and Russian naval exercises in the Atlantic Ocean.

On the other hand, the School of the Americas, the notorious training school for military butchers for dictatorial regimes, receives less patronage as compared to the 1970-1990 s. Only a handful of countries are now willing to accommodate US bases in their territories.

Conciliatory approach
A fresh wind of freedom is blowing across Latin America, which through its open veins hitherto fed the development of colonial powers, first Spain and later the United States with its material and human resources. Today, more and more countries are treading on paths of independent development.

The United States would be compelled to change its present policy and opt for a more conciliatory approach toward its southern neighbors including Cuba and Venezuela.