Re: [xmca] Happy birthday

Dear Paul

Chavez is just the consequence of political and economic corruption. Once the
democratic parties fail to produce social welfare and social justice, Latin
American countries always tilt to populist (Chavez) or authoritarian
(Pinochet, Castro) exits, which makes them poorer and poorer. It is a never
ending cycle. Venezuelan democracy, which made of Venezuela a host country for
many chilean exilees (including my family that went there "voluntarily"), is
being destroyed by a chauvinistic and militaristic leader, born from the
failure of social and christian democrats to capitalize on Venezuela´s wealth
to create a prosperous country; a leader, Chavez, which is as well exploiting
the image of Bolivar -a quite complicated leader by itself- to legimitize its
new cartoon-like 21st century populism. He could be entertainning and
charismatic, but he is antagonistic, manipulative and egotistic as well. His
Latin Americanism is not helping to create a real southern american
alternative but has antagonized many countries against him, including Peru,
Chile and Brazil, which in turn are not lead by what we could call pro-US
leaders. Chavez is not too diferent from many other populist impersonators
that ruined our countries before. Poor Venezuela. I wish her well.

David

Paul Dillon escribió:
> David,
>
> In the French case it certainly might be nationalism and xenophobia are
> determining the political destiny but I don't think that characterization
> applies to what Chavez is doing. ALBA, the south american EEC that Chavez
> is orchestrating and which just finished its first summit, actually is an
> attempt to overcome the nationalisms that have prevented South and Central
> American countries from coming together during the last two centuries
> following the Wars of Independence. And it also has more to do with Simon
> Bolivar's vision of a unified South America than it does with a Marxist
> analysis -- e.g., centrality of the industrial proletariat in the
> transformation to socialism -- although socialism is clearly the direction.
>
> One thing though, if there are any "silver linings" to the wars in Iraq and
> Afghanistan that have the US totally tied up with no excess military
> capacity, one of them is that this involvement has prevented the US from
> taking any serious military action against Venezuela or Bolivia -- military
> actions that would take the form of supporting separatist movements in the
> regions where the gas and oil is located, the Maracaibo in Venezuela; Beni
> and Sta Cruz in Bolivia.
>
> Besides, Chavez is highly entertaining. A real campuchano.
>
> Paul
>
> Paul
>
>
>
> David Preiss <davidpreiss@uc.cl> wrote:
> ..which shows that nationalism and xenophobia can capitalize on
> different economic arrangements...
> david
>
> On May 6, 2007, at 12:09 PM, Mike Cole wrote:
>
>> As the French vote for free market nationalism, Chavez nationalizes
>> huge
>> parts of the Venezualan
>> economy and threatens to take over a Latin American steel company
>> that sells
>> abroad, and
>> and and........... amazing co-incidences.
>> mike
>>
>> On 5/5/07, Paul Dillon
> wrote:
>>>
>>> And alive and well in the minds of millions.
>>>
>>> Phil Chappell
> wrote: Karl Marx, 5/5/1818 -
>>> only
>>> 189 years ago...
>>>
>>> Phil
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
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>
> David Preiss, Ph.D.
> Subdirector de Extensión y Comunicaciones
> Escuela de Psicología
> Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
> Av Vicuña Mackenna 4860
> Macul, Santiago
> Chile
>
> Fono: 3544605
> Fax: 3544844
> e-mail: davidpreiss@uc.cl
> web personal: http://web.mac.com/ddpreiss/
> web institucional: http://www.uc.cl/psicologia
>
>
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>
>
> ---------------------------------
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-- 
David D. Preiss Ph.D.
Profesor Auxiliar / Assistant Professor
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Escuela de Psicología.
Av. Vicuña Mackenna 4860.
Macul, Santiago de Chile.
Chile
Teléfono: (56-2) 354-4605
Fax: (56-2) 354-4844.
Web: http://web.mac.com/ddpreiss/
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