Chavez’s Death and what it means for Latin America
No real human being should ever take pleasure in another man’s suffering, or even in his death. I know that there will be people out there yelling about Bin Laden, Hitler, or Stalin, and how the lowest level of hell wouldn’t be hot enough for them, and there certainly may be some truth to their claims.
The most recent nemesis of the U.S., Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, was of a different flock altogether.
Chavez died recently of cancer, and Venezuelan propagandists are quick to point out that it was the Americans, the Americans—the U.S., to be more precise, and the network of spies and evil weapons their science labs must have created. While the jury is still out on that, it has reached a consensus about Chavez no longer leading Latin America: that the continent effectively lost its bullhorn against American imperialism, and that the footsteps he’s left behind might be too big for even a Tyrannosaurus Rex to fill.
For one, let’s not forget Venezuela and the all-important ticket to international credibility: oil.
So why was the United States furious at this little fat man thumping his chest at Washington on every occasion? Why could a country twice the size of California but only almost half its size in population possibly be a threat to the U.S.? According to statistics, Venezuela is the 5th largest oil exporter in the world and has the second largest reserves of heavy crude oil (behind Canada) in the world. The problem with this, of course, is that these billions of dollars worth of oil are tied to the state. Of Venezuela, that is, not Exxon-Mobil or Chevron.
Now that Chavez is gone, Latin America will try to pick up the flag and rally around him, one would think. President Morales of Bolivia would be a viable candidate for unofficial spokesperson of Latin America, since he enjoyed terrific relations with Chavez and Venezuela. What speaks against this idea is the fact that Bolivia is the poorest country on the continent. People will argue that you will need a little more credibility, like that from an economic powerhouse like Brazil, for instance.
On the diplomatic front so far, things seem to be silent—conspicuously so, almost. Calm before the storm? Perhaps so, but saying there will no repercussions over the death of a man that had proudly carried the flag not only of his country but of an entire continent would be naive at best, and politically suicidal at worst.
In the meantime, Americans will endure the usual harassment by government officials, whether these work in customs, the interior ministry, or merely man the parking meters. That will be until there will be no harassment anymore at all, the result of another possible American expulsion that started years ago with the ouster of the DEA and the last American Ambassador.
Either way, alertness on the political radar will be essential here.
Although Chavez’s personal physical suffering may be over, it’s not too far out to say that the suffering he will indirectly inflict on others is only in the beginning stages.
0 comments