US Fearmongering and Venezuela: The Saga Continues

As I've mentioned before, the US government is notable for its somewhat imperialistic approach to Latin America. Even more remarkable is that the mainstream newsmedia tend to be implicit accomplices in anti-Latin American fearmongering, comparing "leftist" leaders with Fidel Castro when any connections are tenuous at best. Well, surprise, surprise... looks like we're at it again.

In the wake of last-month's standoff between Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Colombia's Alvaro Uribe, over Uribe's unauthorized attack against FARC rebels based out of Ecuador (and over the express protests of Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa), it appears that even the standard label of "communist dictator" that the administration applies to President Chavez is now too tame. Instead, the administration now seeks to add Venezuela to a list of states accused of harboring terrorists, in this case based on rather scanty evidence taken from laptops confiscated by Colombian officials. Surprising, isn't it, that Colombian officials conveniently discovered incriminating evidence to aim at Venezuela so soon after a military showdown?

Although, it's probably even more unfortunate that, even after all the lies this administration has told us, we're still so willing to believe the standard line on Chavez.

Raul Castro is not an idiot...

Major newspapers today are reporting that the Cuban government is taking some fairly bold moves to re-orient itself and remove many of the more onerous restrictions the government had imposed over the years - including moves to give farmers greater autonomy over what is grown, allowing Cubans to use tourist facilities (for the few who can afford it), and allowing the sale of computers, cell phones, electric scooters, microwaves, and even car rentals.

Assuredly, the reception to such reforms will be lukewarm in the United States, but they may signal changing winds in Cuba - particularly since they come at a time when Cuba is not forced into these reforms and enjoys the support of many left-leaning leaders in Latin America. At the very least, these seemingly inconsequential reforms mean a great deal in the everyday life of ordinary Cubans. Raul Castro is not his brother, he's a pragmatic goal-oriented socialist, rather than the ideologue that Fidel is/was.