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Will He Come to his senses?
Hugo Chavez is on the war path. He has instructed his military to prepare for war with Colombia. I am truly trying to understand why Chavez is beating the drums for war.
As I assess his "evolution" as a leader, I see some close parallels between him and his pal Ahmadinejad in Iran.
As I assess the situation, I see that Colombia has asked the UN for assistance. It seems to me that Chavez needs to truly focus on his internal challenges. Although I understand his populist policies, I continue to think that he pushes these sort of crisis to divert attention from the real issues facing the country. Crime is rising, inflation is rising and the budget deficit that has been brought about by his policies is wrecking havoc on the economy. One would not know this if one visits his United Socialist Party website, though.
I am fascinated by Chavez, though. He is quite the entertainer, though. But this fascination with being noticed may force a region into war. Maybe President Lula will once again remind Chavez that he should behave himself. It is indeed a worrisome development. For the sake of the people of the region, hopefully cooler heads will prevail.
September 17th 2009 06:13
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That's Why I love this.........
Hugo Chavez continues on with his "rampage". I followed his latest walk-about around the world with fascination. What I find bothersome is when any one man begins to think that he knows better than everyone else. That's why he and idiotnejad in Iran are buddies.
What I find troublesome is how Chavez has been spending his nation's wealth on arms. He tells the world that he wants to counter "the Empire". If he wants to be Obama's "friend", then why is he buying all these arms? Who is the threat? Although he denies it, the FARC uses his country's territory for rest. The economy is in trouble and mismanagement is rife. Yet, Chavez marches right along. The deals he has inked with China and Russia to explore the latest major oil find is also worrisome
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Common Sense Prevailing, Perhaps?
Common sense seems to be prevailing in Honduras. Zelaya and the interim Adminstration have agreed to mediation to be spearheaded by the President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias. This is a welcome development, because President Arias has had a very credible record in trying to mediate disputes and helped to bring to a close civil wars. President Arias is due to begin his work on Thursday. Thursday can't arrive soon enough.
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Histor in the Making....Yet Again!!!!
As I write this, Al Jazeera is reporting that the ousted Honduran President is on his way back home. Riots are going on. Thousands are at the Airport. One child was shot dead during the presentations. The child may well be Honduras' "Neda". The plane with Zelaya apparently has been diverted to El Salvador. A second plane is following with a number of Latin American Presidents.
There is a live interview going on with Zelaya on Honduran National Television as he is flying towards Honduras. The situation is quite fluid. I am anxious to see who will blink first. What is also interesting to note is that Zelaya's wife has taken refuge in the US Embassy
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What is Chavez' end game?
Although I wrote with interest the antics by Chavez at the Summit of the Americas, I continue to be concerned as to the powergrab Chavez is continuing. Now that the term limits have been revoked, the President has begun a systematic process to eliminate alll opposition to his rule. All opponents are being investigated for corruption, leading figures have been jailed and the courts have been systemtically been turned into organs of Executive Power.
Chavez calls this the third stage of his self-styled "Bolivarian Revolution". Chavez has to be transparent, allow opposition to flourish and not spare anyone in the fight against corruption. The indications I see continue to disturb me.
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Looking to the Future.....
A New Day, Perhaps?
Barack Obama is attending the summit of the Americas. As I listened to his speech yesterday, I thought that his forwarding looking rhetoric and call to action by Latin Americans was something that all should embrace. I found it especially encouraging when Chavez and Obama shook hands. I have had profound reservations about what Chavez has been doing. But the hostile rhetoric that has prevailed over the past eight years has to give way to a new day
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..and now the real work begins......
A New Dawn Has Arrived
Barack Hussein Obama is now the 44th President of the United States. Throughout my lifetime, I have had the privilege to read on the traditions and was finally able to be a true witness to this momentous transfer of power due to the power of technology. I have continued to marvel at how someone with so much power gives it up so willingly because the people are truly sovereign in America. This was quite moving when the President and the First Lady escorted Former Mr. and Mrs. Bush
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There is nothing to lose
Raul Castro has come out to offer to swap Cuban Dissidents for the Cuban-5 being held in the United States. I think it is high time for the United States and Cuba to talk about beginning a new era in relations. The United States has had a 40 year embargo on Cuba. It seems to me that with Mr. Obama assuming office on January 21, it seems to me that a bold move will be the right thing to do.
As I thought about Raul Castro's offer to begin talks, I realize the sentiments of the Cuban-American Community. I am sure that Mr. Obama will continue to bring political calculations into the mix. There is a 2010 election coming up. I am sure that the smart guys in Washington already realize that. I view Venezuela's Oil Price predicement as quite an opportunity. Cuba will have to figure out how to see beyond Venezuela. An opening exists.. Let's see if the Obama Adminstration will take advantage of this.
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Infotainment at its' best
Silvio the clown (aka the Prime Minister of Italy) was in Russia. According to a report in the Times of London, the clown said that, ".... Russia and America can do business together.." He went on to say that, "...I will try to help relations between Russia and the United States, where a new generation has come to power. I don't see problems for Medvedev in establishing good relations with Obama, who is also handsome, young and suntanned".
According to the report, he said that he had intended the remark as a compliment and those who failed to understand this were "imbeciles". The clown is the imbecile. He is the idiot. I am sorry that President-Elect Obama has to deal with such a fool.
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Can anyone do anything about it?
I can't help but be worried. As I continue to write about our world, I want to remain hopeful. But, the bad news continues coming in. The Dow lost over 300 points on Friday. As America continues to be in the midst of a Presidential Campaign, the world seems to be falling apart. BBC is reporting on a very disturbing development in Colombia threatens to undermine all that seems to have been achieved in the so-called war on drugs. A number of Army colonels have been sacked because they apparently kidnapped homeless men and then killed them to secure body counts and in turn promotions. Colombia was the same country, of course, that pulled off the release of Ingrid Betancourt and others using the emblems of the International commitee for the Red Cross. I view it as a bothersome development because it will undermine the very perilous nature of achievements made in the war on drugs that the world seems to be losing. Look at what is going on in Mexico. I regard Uribe as the ultimate teflon, though. I think he would muddle through as he has through other crisis.
The more worrisome development, though, is the killing of foreigners in the center of the Afghan capital, Kabul. Afghanistan is on fire. Karzai is useless and is a lost case. I am heartened by Joe Klein's comments on Time.com about Barack Obama's views. According to Klein, Barack Obama (and General Petreaus) are in favor of negotiations with the Taliban. I would be interested in any alternative anyone could offer. Right now, I see none
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I have been watching with horror as the Retail sector has undergone a massive upheavel. Retail as we've known it for the last 30 years will be no more. I view the massive restructing and realignment of Retail as probably the scariest of all the changes we're seeing today. In my own backyard, two major retailers are shutting down and have undertaken massive liquidation sales. I happend to visit my City's local Mervyns' Store last week. I had avoided it for a while simply because I could not bear it. When I walked it, I was simply shocked as to the products being out there and the massive price reductions. I also checked out Linen n' Things as well. Many of the products were way over priced anyway. But, these two stores rode the consumerism of the 90's and now have become the latest victims. All the major players are suffering.
As I walked past Mervyn's today, I wondered about who can replace it. I did not particularly care about the landlord. But I wondered about the revenue loss the State will suffer. I wondered about when the blood-letting will stop. The investors are sure speaking up, though. Markets all around the world are dropping. The Dow lost over 500 points on Wednesday. I only take comfort in one thing right now: the drop in the price of oil. London Brent is at $ 62 per Barrel. New York Light is at $ 66 per Barrel. That price drop scares me. It scares me because it will potentially cause us to lose sight of the effort to rid ourselves of our addiction to Carbon.
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What's he afraid of? Another coup....
Hugo Chavez has been on a rampage yet again. Although I am sure that he is smiling at the economic implosion going on around the world, I wonder why he has begun another round of banning members of the opposition. What is he afraid of? The country continues to have profound challenges. His so-called Bolivarian Revolution, to me, is simply a joke. Latin America wants to go beyond domination by the United States. That's truly understandable. But, what Chavez is doing is simply wrong. Why is he trying to stiffle the opposition? He is a funny character, that's for sure. But, if he believes in the people, he should let the people and the opposition have the opportunity to make their case. It appears that Chavez's ex-wife is the thorn on his side. That will be one interesting match to watch. The fact remains that Chavez and his rise is partly the result of a misguided U.S. Policy which has led us to where we are now. The collapse in oil prices will not be pretty on Chavez, though.
Mike Pouraryan
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