"The Smart Way to Beat Tyrants Like Chávez," by Donald Rumsfeld, 12/1/07http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/30/AR2007113001800.htmlThe last thing in the world that Rumsfeld, the Bush Junta and Exxon-Mobil want is
peace in Colombia and South America.
The Rumsfeld article (which outlines a strategy of economic and military warfare against Venezuela and other other democracies) was published in the Washington Post the very weekend that the first hostage release was supposed to occur. They kneecapped Uribe--who depends on the Bush Junta for billions of dollars (our tax money) in military aid--to sabotage the hostage release negotiations--which he did, with an attack by Colombian security forces on the convoy of three FARC hostage negotiators who were carrying "proof of life" documentation to Caracas. Rumsfeld refers to this in the first paragraph of his op-end, in his statement that Chavez's negotiation efforts were "not welcome" in Colombia. That was true only for that weekend. Uribe had
asked Chavez to undertake the negotiations--where others had failed. When Chavez's efforts started to show success, the Bushites became alarmed, and pushed their puppet to stop the negotiations. He used a very lame excuse (that Chavez had violated some kind of protocol by calling the head of the Colombian military--probably an attempt by Chavez to
head off sabotage.) International pressure--from the hostages' families, the president of France and other world leaders--soon forced Uribe to permit continuance of Chavez's efforts--and two woman hostages were soon released, in the weeks following Rumsfeld's article, and--probably important--
after the Venezuelan referendum on constitutional changes--a vote that occurred that weekend (Dec. 2--the day after Rumsfeld's op-ed).
The Bush Junta did not want Chavez to have that success--getting hostages released--just before the Venezuelan vote. Among the 69 constitutional changes that were proposed were several that would have given Chavez more power--in particular power over the central bank. Exxon-Mobil had filed its request for "arbitration" with the U.S.-dominated World Bank in September, preparatory to its recent act of war against Venezuela--attempting to freeze $12 billion in Venezuela's assets, over a dispute about Venezuela's 60% share in its own oil. Chavez's control over the economy, and financial institutions, is obviously of interest to Rumsfeld, the other Bushites and Exxon-Mobil, since their strategy includes economic warfare, and destabilization, as well as--according to Rumsfeld--the U.S. acting "swiftly" to support "friends and allies" in South America (fascist thugs planning coups). What can he mean by this--except military intervention, in yet another effort to topple the democratically elected, and very popular Chavez government. (Chavez lost the constitutional vote by a hair, but continues to enjoy a 70% approval rating.) The Bushites have poured millions of our tax dollars into rightwing groups in Venezuela, through USAID-NED and other budgets--for projects like a violent rightwing military coup attempt, an oil professionals' strike (that nearly brought the country to its knees), an attempt to recall Chavez (which he won, big), fielding opposition candidates, fomenting rightwing street protests, and defeating the constitutional amendments.
Further, I suspect that the initial Uribe invitation to Chavez to negotiate with FARC for release of hostages was a Bush Junta-designed set up. Or, rather, the invitation may have been genuine, but the moment the Bushites learned of it, they began to re-design it as a set up. I think the invitation occurred during, or as the result of, a four-hour meeting between Uribe and Chavez, in 2006, in which Uribe apologized to Chavez for the assassination plot that had been hatched in rightwing groups close to the Uribe government. It was possibly Chavez's idea (how to turn this whole situation toward peace, and toward South American unity against the U.S./Bush behemoth?). Uribe publicly invited him to do it. Something was not right about it. Chavez called the head of the Colombian military to find out what it was, and to try to insure that no sabotage of the hostage release would occur. He may have foiled the Bushite set up at that moment. Then, the jerky, awkward suddenness of Uribe's move to stop the hostage negotiation--which literally has the feel of his puppet chain being pulled--points to, a) the ill purpose of it (some kind of disaster was planned--hostages killed in crossfire?), and b) the desire to deny Chavez any success at getting hostages released.
This second hostage release is momentous. It means that Chavez, and also the president of Argentina, the president of France, and others involved, have OVERCOME the Bushite plotting. And it is all the more evidence that there could be a peaceful settlement of Colombia's 40+ year civil war. It is the only remaining violent conflict in South America between right- and left-wing forces. It is one of the major excuses that the Bush Junta has used to militarize Colombia (and to bilk us out of billions of dollars to military contractors). And it has turned Colombia into a potential launching pad for Oil War II--against the Andes countries with leftist governments and lots of oil (Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Argentina).
The overwhelming trend in South America is toward democracy, social justice and peace--with leftist (majorityist) governments elected in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile and Nicaragua (and likely in Paraguay this year). Rumsfeld and the Bush Junta oppose all three. They very un-democratic, anti-social justice war profiteers, with extremely bloody hands. I think the good guys will win this one. The South Americans are extraordinarily united and focused. And the people of South America have done their homework--on transparent elections, grass roots organization and the creation of new democratic, and regional economic, institutions. But Rumsfeld & co. can still cause a lot of hell, as we know--and, if Rumsfeld's op-ed is any guide (and Exxon-Mobil's actions), they intend to do it before Bush's term is up.
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