Two days
ago, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez died at the age of 58. It's clear that
Chavez had the support of millions of Venezuelans and other people around the
world during his life and in his death. It's clear that he loved the Venezuelan
people and that they loved him. Chavez helped to bring down the poverty rate in
Venezuela and moved to help the poor around the world. As a result, the
Venezuelan people continued to return him to power through relatively free and
fair elections.
However,
I've never been convinced that he loved them more than he hated the United
States or than he loved himself. While I admired his struggle against cancer
these last few months, one couldn't help but be embarrassed by the hiding of
his medical condition and his two month disappearance from the country over
which he had been recently elected president.
He also
made some important criticisms of the United States and the current global
economic arrangements but then would blame the US for causing earthquakes in
Haiti and lend support to murderous regimes and leaders throughout the world.
He acted more out of a hatred for the US than he did solidarity for much of the
world's most vulnerable. His anti-Americanism was on full display on the day of
his death with Vice President Maduro's attacks against the United States for
giving Hugo Chavez cancer and the expulsion of two US government employees…
While
estimates seem to vary - I'm not sure that anyone really knows - Nicaragua has
received $2.5 billion or so from Venezuela over the last several years. Daniel
Ortega and the Nicaraguan government have used that support to fund a variety
of social programmes and to consolidate power. Ortega is popular enough to
stand on his own in Nicaragua although it's unclear how well the Nicaraguan
economy will adjust should the next government in Venezuela change in any
fundamental way its financial support to its Central American partner.
