from IHT more evidence for the importance of analysing contradictions among the bourgeoisie.
U.S.-Latin breach over Chavez Larry Rohter The New York Times Tuesday, April 16, 2002 SANTIAGO Venezuela's neighbors helped pave the way for President Hugo Chavez's stunning return to power by refusing to accept the legitimacy of the coup that overthrew him and by threatening to impose sanctions, Latin American diplomats say. The efforts opened a breach between the United States and its democratic allies in the Western Hemisphere. Chavez pledged Sunday to help reconcile the deep political divisions - within the ranks of the military, in the business and labor sectors and at Venezuela's state-run oil company - that ignited the most serious political crisis in his tumultuous three-year presidency. "I am issuing a call for understanding," he said after he resumed his presidential powers in a predawn ceremony in the presidential palace, two days after being forced from office. Until last week, the United States had adopted a policy of restraint, apparently content to let the Chavez government collapse under its growing unpopularity. There were no obvious U.S. fingerprints on the plot that unseated Chavez, unlike coups in Guatemala in 1954 and Chile in 1973, for example. But Latin American countries are now left with the impression that the Bush administration is selective in its support for democracy. Chavez's supporters, on the other hand, took heart from an outpouring of criticism by other Latin American governments over the way he was deposed. The initial alarm around the region grew after the military-backed interim president, Pedro Carmona, dissolved Congress and talked of holding presidential elections only after a year had passed - measures that appeared to contravene the existing constitution. "I have been and am a critic of many of the characteristics of the government of Hugo Chavez," said President Alejandro Toledo of Peru. But he added, "We are not defending the democratic characteristics of a particular government, we are defending the principle of the rule of law." In contrast, the United States refused to characterize the initial removal of Chavez as a coup at all, arguing that he had brought his downfall upon himself. "The government suppressed what was a peaceful demonstration of the people," which "led very quickly to a combustible situation in which Chavez resigned," Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman, said Friday. Meeting in Washington on Saturday and Sunday, the Organization of American States approved a resolution condemning "the alteration of the constitutional order" in Venezuela and invoked a new "Democratic Charter" approved last September in Lima. That measure is one of several recent regional initiatives that create mechanisms, including sanctions, to isolate and punish governments that take power through nondemocratic means. After lobbying behind the scenes for softer language, the United States also voted for the measure. "It was necessary to act energetically and decisively in defense of democratic principles, with or without the support of the United States, or lose credibility," a South American ambassador said Sunday. As Toledo's remarks indicate, Chavez's leftist populism and his tendency toward demagoguery seem to make most of Latin America's elected leaders uncomfortable. President Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil has been quoted as calling Chavez an "unconscious authoritarian," and both Colombia and Peru have persistently complained of his support for forces set on undermining their governments. But the notion of permitting the armed forces of any Latin American country to resume their past role as ultimate arbiter, able to make and unmake elected presidents at will, is even more unpalatable. The strongest statements of condemnation of Chavez's ouster came from countries like Argentina, Paraguay and Peru, which have long histories of military interventions and dictatorships themselves. "This is not an impression, it's the verification of a coup in Venezuela that I hope has a democratic resolution," President Eduardo Duhalde of Argentina, who came to office in January under questionable circumstances, said on Friday. On Saturday he said it was "not good news for the Americas when military coups once again overthrow governments elected by the people." _______________________________________________ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
