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 Latin
Crisis
Time for the Monroe Doctrine?...
[Gordon Cucullu] 1/11/06
We are facing a crisis in South America of which few Americans are aware. In
2004-2005, aided by useful idiots such as Jimmy Carter and self-anointed
EU poll watchers, Hugo Chavez was able to steal a fraudulent recall election
in Venezuela and solidify his hold on the petroleum giant. Within months
he moved to expel US military advisors and has placed phenomenally large
weapons orders with the Russians. Look for 50 MiG-29s to appear soon, as
well as more than 100,000 small arms destined to arm the narco-terrorists
in neighboring Colombia. Politically Chavez has moved to jail, execute,
or intimidate the democratic opposition so that he can consolidate power.
Now he has an emulator in Bolivia, who has also taken advantage of the
democratic process to gain power.
In Bolivia
long time labor agitator and avowed communist “Evo” Morales
assumed the presidency. With yet another skewed election in
Latin America, some observers worry that major countries in
the region are falling away from democracy. Left-leaning, somewhat
anti-American politicians have surfaced in Brazil and Argentina,
and the Ortega boys, perennial favorites of the American bubble-headed
left, are resurging in Nicaragua. None of these countries are
unique, but reflect a centuries-old pattern of social and political
unrest resulting from essentially animistic indigenous cultures
that had charismatic, Inquisitional Catholicism imposed upon
them. Consequently, they have been wracked by decade-long internal
conflict that makes acceptance of democracy difficult.
Contributor
Gordon Cucullu
Former
Green Beret lieutenant colonel, Gordon Cucullu is now
an editorialist, author and a popular speaker. Born
into a military family, he lived and served for more
than thirteen years in East Asia, including eight years
in Korea. For his Special Forces service in Vietnam
he was awarded a Bronze Star, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry,
and the Presidential Unit Commendation. After separation
from the Army, he worked on Korea and East Asian affairs
at both the Pentagon and Department of State as well
as an executive for General Electric in Korea. His
first major non-fiction work, Separated
at Birth: How North Korea became the Evil Twin,
is based in large part on his extensive experience
in Korea and East Asia as a governmental insider and
businessman. [website]
[go to Cucullu index]
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Mexico and
the Philippines are just two examples of many of the difficulty
in transitioning from an authoritative, colonial, military-religious
government to a government by the people. In both these countries
political authority has traditionally rested with an informal
but well-recognized collection of “special” families
who accept the burden of government as a birthright. Of course,
along with the unlimited wealth that comes from having position
and authority, rampant corruption means that they devolve into
oppression and advantage regardless of initial good intentions.
Consequently, the scents of revolution, Molotov cocktails,
and gunpower are present at every election, and voter fraud
and violence run wild on the streets.
Boliva, sadly,
has mirrored these models. In recent years elections have been
fought out on the avenues long after the formal voting process
is complete. In Bolivia also the divided social strata of the
older, “Spanish” families, who are the traditional
rulers, from the peasant Indians is a constant issue. The gulf
between the two is wide and impassable. This was a thorny social
issue that Morales has been quick to exploit.
For the first
time in modern history, one of the self-styled Bolivian “oppressed” has
gained power. A mine worker, labor agitator, and friend of
the coca producers, Morales is little more than an opportunistic
street thug. But those words could have described Hitler, Stalin,
and Fidel also. By all accounts Morales is highly charismatic,
inflamatory, street-smart, and plays well to the mob. He describes
Chavez and Castro as his “role models” and spews
anti-American venom whenever he gets close to a microphone.
He actively promotes coca production as a legitimate means
of revenue and is eager to stick a thumb in America’s
eye by expanding ties not only to the peasants, as he claims,
but also to the cartels and the communist-leaning narco-terorists
groups.
Despite initial
promises to the contrary, Morales has taken steps to expel
American influence in Bolivia, especially in regard to anti-drug
activities. Expect that all DEA influence will cease. Look
for him to emulate his mentor, Hugo Chavez in nearby Venezuela,
and toss out all American advisors to the Bolivian military.
He will likely cease training his officers at American institutions
such as the School of the Americas and begin sending them to
Cuba or China for training. One of the first steps any Latin
dictator takes in consolidating power is to purge the military
of any pro-democratic elements.
What we are
seeing happen in Latin America is an aberration of the democratic
process. Some will take it as a failure of democracy, but it
is not. It is a prostitution of democracy in the same manner
than Hitler and Mussolini abused it. The process will become
in Bolivia, as it has in Venezuela, a “one man, one vote,
one time,” a tragedy that will usher in a communist dictator.
Poor Latin America, so far behind the rest of the world. At
a time when communism has been largely discredited even in
its two largest models, the Soviet and Chinese, it now appears
on the upswing in the south.
Given normal
circumstances, American could accept, albeit through clenched
teeth, a Bolivia that is communist ruled. We did it for decades
with Albania and Bulgaria. What is disturbing about the situation
- other than the gross human rights abuses that are certain
to erupt - is that Chavez is sitting on vast quantities of
oil, and Morales on similarly huge amounts of raw material
for cocaine and heroin. And both are keen on using their resources
paradoxically as both a source of revenue from the US and a
way of destabilizing the giant to the north. It is not enough
for Bolivia to have hurt itself internally but it compounds
its troubles by declaring hostility to America. This can only
be to the ultimate disadvantage of all concerned, not least
the gleeful mobs who brought Morales in with naïve expectations
of a new utopia.
Exacerbating
an unpleasant situation are the immediate inroads to Caracas
and soon we expect to La Paz by rogue regimes in Iran and North
Korea. Iran can only be interested in peddling WMD and North
Korea in providing rockets to carry warheads to neighboring
targets. The Korean Taepodong-class missile, what the Iranians
call Shahab-3, is capable of hitting targets throughout the
hemisphere.
Anti-American
ideologies, similar to politics, make for odd bedfellows. At
least to us they seem odd. They seem to get along famously.
We ought to be savvy enough to grasp that our enemies will
seek every opportunity to make common cause against us. For
this reason 2006 is likely to be an annus horribilus in
South America. After all, if North Korea and Iran are feeling
the heat, what better strategy than to take the war to America’s
doorstep?
Unlike wine
and cheese, bad news does not age well. It is critical for
present and future US security that we devote energy to these
issues in Latin America. It may be too late to salvage Chavez’ Venezuela
or Morales’ Bolivia, but we have other friends in the
region: Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, and Chile to name
a few that could use our moral assistance and more. And we
have a vulnerable Panama Canal, now under Chinese management,
sitting next to an overly-ambitious dictator who wishes only
harm for America.
We must act
positively before the situation deteriorates further. It is
time to think about invoking Monroe Doctrine proscriptions
regarding Iranian and North Korean intrusions into this hemisphere.
And in this age of far-reaching missiles with WMD warheads,
all options, including military, must remain on the table. -one-
Curious
about North Korea? Learn more in Gordon’s
best-selling book Separated
at Birth: How North Korea became the Evil Twin became
the Evil Twin, Lyons Press available at bookstores now.
copyright
2006 Gordon Cucullu
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