Beautiful Horizons

Bellicosity

I've always been a fan of etymologies. I believe that they give a greater insight into a word's meaning. The title of this post means to be inclined to fight, but comes from the name Bellona, the Roman Goddess of War.

All this is to lead up to Hugo Chavez's recent bellicosity towards Colombia. Boz has been doing yeoman work covering this story in the last week. You can read his accounts in chronological order here, here, here, here and here.

As Boz notes in his most recent post, most Venezuelans are not happy about this. Indeed, one would imagine that they would prefer consistent power and water than a war.

If this reminds me of anything, it reminds me of the Argentine Junta's decision to invade the Falklands (no, I'm not saying Chavez is like Galtieri and Videla); an attempt at using a war to rally the nation against domestic problems.

Some Drink the Kool-Aid

And some apparently bathe in it. If it were me, I'd be a bit embarrassed.

Fortunately, I have enough good sense not to deify any politician.

Greg scooped the Times by about a week, by the way.

Dog Bites Man V

Who knew? Hugo Chavez is a truther.

Nueva Esparta Your Liberation Is At Hand!

And then there were three:

“Venezuela is joining in recognition of the independence of the republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” Mr. Chávez said during a meeting with Russia’s president, Dmitri A. Medvedev, at his residence outside Moscow. “Starting today, we will recognize these republics,” he said, through a Russian translator.

The announcement drew an immediate response from Abkhazia’s de facto president, Sergei Bagapsh, who thanked Mr. Chávez and pledged closer economic and political ties with Venezuela, Interfax reported.

Why stop there? How about an independence movement for Isla de Coche and Isla de Margarita? /snark>

Why is this "necessary?"

Mr. Chávez sees Moscow as possibly acting as a counterweight to Washington’s influence in Latin America. He has visited Russia eight times as president, often seeking to procure Russian-made arms and weapons systems. Russia and Venezuela in recent years have signed agreements worth over $4 billion for deliveries of fighter jets, helicopters and automatic weapons.

There is no reason to believe that Venezuela faces any threat from its neighbors. Colombia is still dealing with the FARC. Ecuador is an ally. Brazil is also an ally, although not as close as Ecuador. Guyana poses no threat to Venezuela.

Latin America doesn't need another arms race, nor does its leaders need to seek to let other countries - and I mena both the USA and Russia - establish spheres of influence in the region.

A Tale of Two Countries

If you want to silence your political opponents, you can physically intimidate them by shouting them down or by threatening them with death from the safety of an anonymous phone call  or by going to their place of employment and threatening them with handguns and tear gas.

Isn't it ultimately more effective to win them over with the wisdom of your ideas instead?

I guess I'm just old-fashioned . . .

By the way, I don't often say this, but good for the Chavez administration for cracking down on the thugs responsible. As Boz notes, they probably did succumb to some pressure or embarrassment, but nevertheless, it was good that they realized how wrong this was.

Yet Another Modest Proposal

Since Hugo Chavez claims to be a Christian, allow me to call to his attention this verse from Proverbs 26:11:

As a dog goes back to its vomit, so a fool repeats his stupidity.

Indeed. Hat tip to Marc Cooper.

Justice Crawling, But Moving Nevertheless

This bit of news seems to have slipped by this weekend:

Luis Posada Carriles, 81, was charged with 11 counts of lying to US authorities over his involvement in the 1997 bombings at tourist sites in Cuba and other matters. An Italian tourist, Fabio di Celmo, was killed in the 1997 bomb blast at the Copacabana hotel in Havana. In addition, Venezuelan authorities have accused Posada of planning the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner off the coast of Barbados that killed all 73 people aboard.

Here's the gist of it:

According to the indictment, during a deportation hearing Posada falsely told an immigration judge under oath that he had not been involved in anti-Castro bombings in Cuba, and that he had not arranged for an alleged accomplice to bring explosives into Cuba. The alleged accomplice, Salvadoran national Raul Cruz Leon, was convicted in Cuba of the bombings and sentenced to death. Among other accusations, prosecutors said Posada lied about how he had entered the US, and lied about holding a false Guatemalan passport.

There's a simple solution for this: deportation. I would favor sending him to Venezuela. A man who said he has not renounced violence has no business being here.

Chavez Wins Referendum - Updated

It appears that Hugo Chavez has emerged victorious in his bid for perpetual reelection. So the question remains: what plans are there for continuing his revolution and entrenching his policies if apparently only he is able to do so:

People voting "yes" said Chavez has given poor Venezuelans cheap food, free education and quality health care, and empowered them with a discourse of class struggle after decades of U.S.-backed governments that favored the rich. No successor has emerged, and voters said they worry their gains will vanish if Chavez leaves office.

"If Chavez loses, his social achievements will all disappear," said Richard Mijares, a 40-year-old secretary.

What if Chavez dies of natural causes as he will die someday? If his achievements will "disappear," if he's out of office, what will happen to them if he's longer around?

UPDATE:

Lest anyone think it's just me, someone who doesn't trust Chavez and worries about the cult of personality, the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, which is squarely to my left, expresses some of the same concerns.

Nobody Lives Forever

This seems like a rather surprising post title given current events in my life, but it's a fair question on this issue: If you are instituting a democratic revolution (Bolivarian or otherwise), shouldn't the institutions be the element of change, not the continued rule of one man?

If the continued rule of one man is necessary for this revolution to succeed, does Hugo Chavez think he won't die? Goodness, even the Institutional Revolutionary Party of Mexico (arguably history's greatest oxymoron) had the "dedazo" in which the successor of the current president was effectively selected by his predecessor.

So what happens when Chavez eventually dies? Does everything die with him? If so, then what good is his "revolution?" If not, then why does he need to keep running indefinitely?

These are, of course, rhetorical questions, but they deserve answers. My own feelings is that this is more of the cult of Chavez's personality. Personality cults have been the bane of Latin American governance. It's time for it to end.

Boz and  Marc have more.

Just Shut Up

As I mentioned before, Hugo Chavez is essentially a blowhard, who apparently has little self-control. One would think that he would be as enthusiastic as most of the nation is to see the Bush administration on its way out and could show a modicum of restraint, allowing Barack Obama to actually take office before the loony comments start.

Apparently not.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Saturday Barack Obama had the "stench" of his predecessor as U.S. president and was at risk of being killed if he tries to change the American "empire."

Most world leaders expect a new era of U.S. foreign relations when Obama, a Democrat, is sworn in as president on Tuesday after Republican George W. Bush's eight years in the White House.

But Chavez said frayed ties with Washington were unlikely to improve despite the departure of Bush, who the Venezuelan leader has often called the "devil."

"I hope I am wrong, but I believe Obama brings the same stench, to not say another word," Chavez said at a political rally on a historic Venezuelan battlefield.

Among the other choice comments Chavez made: The president-elect of the United States seems to be a fiasco for his own people and for the world." Based on what?

This is an appeal to the base; in every sense of the word.

Hat tip to Steve Benen.