Recently, I was asked to comment on George Bush‘s trip to Latin America here in London. Generally speaking, the British have a superficial understanding of the political dynamics in that region. After years of relentless misinformation from the BBC and The Guardian, the conventional wisdom tends to follow this line: all the region’s problems stem from the imperialist designs of Washington. It goes without saying that this perspective aligns well with the rampant anti-American sentiment in this part of Europe; however, it bears little resemblance to reality. I remember once having a debate with the Venezuelan Ambassador to the UK, who will soon be replaced at the LSE. He was launching a book on globalization that blamed all our issues on Americans. During the Q&A, I asked him to quantify the responsibilities of local politicians in the current state of chaos. Alfredo Toro Hardy did not appreciate my question—nor did he respond meaningfully—but the leftist professor who moderated the event stated that such questions should be addressed.
Some time ago, specifically in November 2005, a summit took place in Mar del Plata, Argentina. There, representatives from American nations gathered to discuss trade and other topics. The dictator Hugo, always the clown, went to a stadium to whip up the crowd of foolish Latinos and humiliated himself—with the star-studded company of cocaine addict Diego Maradona—by reiterating his hollow rhetoric regarding George Bush and how his visit had been a total failure. Claiming victory in halting the advance of “imperialism” in Mar del Plata, Hugo returned home triumphant. However, the euphoria didn’t last long, as 29 out of 34 countries committed to continue trade negotiations with the ‘evil’ United States.
More recently, George Bush visited several countries in the region. At the same time, Hugo did his utmost to showcase his flair for the dramatic in staged performances to paid audiences in countries Bush was not visiting. This time, reality caught up with Hugo even faster; he had not even returned to Venezuela, and international media—after witnessing the show in Argentina where Hugo insulted Bush—began to ignore his festival of hate. The ethanol pact between Bush and Lula stole the limelight from Hugo, and the promise to open the U.S. market to other ethanol producers in the region to reduce foreign oil dependence—read: Venezuelan—practically pushed Hugo into irrelevance, despite the billions he wasted trying to ‘win’ hearts and minds.
I have long argued that Latinos are a capitalist group. Although the business environment in the region is one of the toughest in the world, most people prefer to run their own small businesses rather than holding jobs or leading undignified lives as charity recipients. Bush’s trip reaffirmed my argument since even Lula, supposedly one of Chávez’s most loyal allies in the region, opted for Bush’s ethanol offer over Chávez’s contracts. This shows that pragmatism and national interests take precedence over revolutionary rhetoric for everyone except the Venezuelan pariahs. The absence of Argentine officials at Chávez’s concert is also a good indicator that nearly all leaders in the region avoid unnecessary antagonism with Bush and will not jeopardize—even for a moment—the possibility of striking trade agreements with the leader of the world’s largest economy.
Hard lessons for the soldier from Sabaneta, who still believes that PDVSA’s handouts amount to access to the largest market. Latinos are not shameful parasites but entrepreneurial individuals. Bush’s speech on social justice did not resonate with Latinos because social justice is not what drives them; it’s the opportunity to develop and grow. That is the only way to escape poverty, and we all know it.
Chávez has spent time and vast sums in Latin America; however, in just two trips, Bush managed to undermine the Bolivarian agenda. Imagine what could have happened if George had fulfilled his promise to engage with and prioritize Latin America…