[Dialogue] Well-oiled anti-Americanism

Fri Nov 11 11:50:25 EST 2005

Colleagues, a view from Egypt. Peace, Harry 
  _____  

Well-oiled anti-Americanism

The Americas Summit fails to grasp its historic opportunity, but registers
an injurious blow to Pax Americana, writes Gamal
<mailto:gnkrumah at ahram.org.eg?subject=International%20::%20Well-oiled%20anti
-Americanism>  Nkrumah 

For all his erudition, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez still knows how to
communicate with the common man and woman. And not just in his native
oil-rich Caribbean. Latin Americans aren't quite so sanguine, it seems, as
American media would have us believe. Argentinean soccer legend Diego
Maradona derisively described United States President George W Bush as
"human rubbish" at a gathering of anti-imperialist activists in Mar del
Plata, Argentina, on the eve of the two-day, 34-nation Summit of the
Americas. Chavez and Maradona were addressing a crowd of 10,000 who yelled
"Get Bush out".

The activists vowed to torpedo Bush's free trade agenda. "Invader, tyrant,
exploiter of the poor" read some of the banners of angry protesters who
turned out in their hundreds of thousands at the Summit of the Americas that
took place last week in Mar del Plata. Like any good breed of politicians,
South Americas new breed of democratically elected leaders -- including
Chavez himself -- are eager to tap into simmering social discontent and
anti-Americanism to burnish a populist image. United States President George
W Bush embarked on a five-day South and Central American trip in a bid to
salvage something of the US's reputation in the region.

Although the current level of anti-Americanism in South America presents no
immanent threat to the Pax-Americana, the trend poses two challenges to the
region's stability. It has emboldened South American countries into taking
an independent stand vis-à-vis the US, and nowhere is this more obviously
the case than in the relatively well-developed and economically buoyant
countries of the MERCOSUR; an economic grouping that brings together the
largest South American economies -- Argentina and Brazil, and Uruguay and
Paraguay. Indeed, centre-left governments dominate the region politically. 

There are some in Washington who warn that the current wave of
anti-Americanism in South America will eventually undermine the political
stability critical to future prosperity of the region. Naturally, many South
Americans refute such notions, predicting instead that the new anti-American
outlook in South America heralds a new phase in the region's traditional
volatile relations with the US. South Americans see the problem as being
Washington's: rising discontent with American foreign policy is eroding
Washington's legitimacy.

What Bush's hostile reception in South America demonstrates is that the
people of the continent, long living in the shadows of US hegemony, know all
too well that their greatest enemy is to the north, not the governments of
the south. Indeed, it is expected that upcoming elections in several South
American countries will be influenced by the ripple effect of the Mar del
Plata summit. US President Bush warned of the clash of wills "between
competing visions". Bush was quoted as saying in the Chicago Sun-Times that
South Americans should "defend strong democratic institutions and reject any
drift back to the days of authoritarian rule," in what the paper said was a
"clear jab at Chavez". 

Other US papers picked up on the theme. "Exporting a trick- and-treat
culture was just one of the many charges the leftist leader pins on Uncle
Sam, his bogeyman Numero Uno," warned The Los Angeles Times. 

While some smart US pundits are piling in, others, however, are in denial.
They are dreaming of maintaining the status quo -- an unjust international
economic order where America rules supreme in the Western hemisphere. Chavez
was branded a "radical socialist bully" by some US media. "More taxes on oil
companies, expropriation of land and attacks on critics," warned the Latin
Business Chronicle. The paper's verdict: "Venezuela is going down the
tubes."

The Western media has been portraying Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as
wielding increasing power and influence in South America and the Caribbean
because of high international crude oil prices. 

"The most striking exponent of energy-based populism is Hugo Chavez, who
used the weekend Summit of the Americas to try to rally his fellow Latin
Americans against the US. In this he deliberately echoes Fidel Castro's
attempts in the early 1960s to spread revolution in Latin America. But, with
only sugar cane to offer, Cuba was easy to cordon off with regional
sanctions," surmised Britain's Financial Times. 

One, however, should be careful not to read too much into historical
comparisons. "Chavez's neighbours, should realise however they do not have
the same luxury of dispensing with free trade concessions, because they
cannot count on his largesse forever," the Financial Times concluded. 

By a coincidence of timing, oil prices have soared -- and yes, so has
Chavez's popularity. But it would be preposterous to pretend that there is
an organic link between high international oil prices and Chavez's
popularity. Venezuela, after all, is a developing country with myriad
economic and social problems. Moreover, there are far wealthier oil
producers whose leaders have failed to capitalise on the oil boom.

American overtures in South America have not reached widely enough. While
certain countries like Chile, Columbia, and to some degree Mexico, and a
host of other smaller Central American nations remain politically very close
to Washington, the overwhelming sentiment towards the US in the region is
decidedly hostile.

The trade question dominated debate at the Mar del Plata summit. South
American nations want to benefit from international trade regulations and to
make the best deals in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Some 96 million
people in the region survive on less than one dollar a day. Some 220 million
of Latin America's 512 million people live in absolute poverty -- i.e.,
below the poverty line. So far, brewing social unrest has not precipitated a
region-wide crisis. Public frustration now seems to be directed at the US.

Ironically, it was only when Brazil brought cases against the US and Europe
at the WTO that Western nations were forced to comply with WTO regulations.
Politically influential and economically weighty countries like Brazil
count. And in Brazil the public is as critical of America as ever. "When the
Republicans win, it is the 'big stick' policy... When the Democrats win, it
is the 'little stick'," explained Brazilian historian Robson Arrias.

But mixing carrots and sticks is an old American game. "Our respective
governments have very different visions for the Hemisphere," conceded US
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Tom Shannon in
Mar del Plata. 

Amid all this, many observers believe the Mar del Plata meeting will mark a
watershed. The trend is towards South American economic integration. No one
should be surprised by the inconclusive outcome of last week's Summit of the
Americas. More is surely to come.

Al-Ahram Weekly Online : Located at:
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/768/in4.htm 

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