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<h1><b>Latin America rejects Bush
Doctrine</b></h1><font size=3>
<a href="http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/16901" eudora="autourl">
http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/16901<br>
</a>March 18, 2008 By <b>Federico Fuentes</b> <br><br>
<br>
(Caracas, 14 March 2008) Reeling from the blow that it received in the
aftermath of the Colombian military's illegal incursion on March 1 into
Ecuador which resulted in the brutal massacre of a number of civilians
and members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC),
including its chief negotiator Raul Reyes US imperialism has once again
raised the ante in its struggle to undermine the growing process of Latin
American integration.<br>
<br>
Venezuela's Bolivarian revolution, led by President Hugo Chavez whose
government is spearheading the push to unite Latin American nations to
counter US domination, is being specifically targeted.<br>
<br>
"The region is facing an increasingly stark choice: to quietly
accept the vision of the terrorists and the demagogues, or to actively
support democratic leaders", US President George Bush stated on
March 12. Bush said his government was studying whether or not Venezuela
should be added to its list of countries that "sponsor
terrorism".<br>
<br>
In Washington's Orwellian world view where war is peace and elected
leaders are dictators his comments were aimed at Venezuela's
democratically-elected government that is offering its services to assist
with a negotiated peaceful solution to Colombia's more than four
decade-long civil war.<br>
<br>
Venezuela's representative in the Organization of American States (OAS),
Jorge Valero, hit back that same day, calling the US government "the
terrorist government par excellence".<br>
<br>
Valero argued it was "an absolutely stupid thing to say from the
government of Mr Bush … that practices state terrorism, that has invaded
Iraq and Afghanistan without respect for international law, that commits
genocidal practices in various parts of the world, that has invaded Latin
American and Caribbean countries …"<br>
<br>
Having viewed Latin America as its own backyard for decades, Washington
is becoming increasingly concerned about developments south of its
border. Its biggest headache is Venezuela, whose government has been
making important headway in bring together governments of Latin America,
as well as undermining capitalism inside Venezuela.<br>
<br>
Washington has waged a constant public campaign (similar to its campaign
against Iraq before the invasion) attempting to link Venezuela with
narcotrafficking, terrorism, promoting an arms race, money laundering and
threats to regional security.<br>
<br>
US-Venezuelan lawyer Eva Golinger argued on the Venezuelan TV show La
Hojilla that this campaign is aimed at containing Chavez's influence and
undermining Latin American integration a process aided by the election
of a number of governments that, to varying degrees, have proven willing
to exercise independence from Washington and pursue closer regional
collaboration.<br>
<br>
For Dario Azzellini, author of several books about US military
intervention into the region, Colombia's illegal cross-border attack
(publicly supported by the US government, which funds and arms the
Colombian military) was the first step in carrying out more serious
military infractions across its border in order to provoke a response
from Venezuela and lay the blame for the subsequent conflict at their
feet.<br>
<br>
"Their aim is to create massive destabilisation in a region where
Colombia would play a similar role to that of Israel in the Middle
East", Azzellini told Green Left Weekly.<br>
<br>
"The Colombian government said that they had the coordinates of
Reyes whereabouts for month, during which we can suppose that he moved
between Colombian, Venezuelan and Ecuadorian territory as part of the
current negotiations by the FARC in releasing prisoners. So the question
is why did they choose to carry it out in Ecuador?<br>
<br>
"It was a test, they wanted to do it in Ecuadorian territory and not
in Venezuela to see what the international reaction would be."<br>
<br>
Luis Bilbao, director of Latin American magazine America XXI, told GLW US
imperialism had two aims in mind with Colombia's attack (which was
clearly coordinated with the US) put a halt to the hopes for
humanitarian accord with the FARC, who only days before had released four
prisoners unilaterally, and sabotage the growing South American
convergence.<br>
<br>
Finding a political solution to Colombia's current conflict is a danger
to Washington, which has used it as justification to build up their
military presence in Colombia. This is why the issue of peace in Colombia
is so closely intertwined with the process of Latin American
integration.<br>
<br>
Colombia's attack came just days before global protests in favour of a
peaceful solution to Colombia's civil war and against state and
paramilitary violence, which targets political activists, with more trade
unionists killed in Colombia every year than any other country. On March
6, hundreds of thousands marched across Colombia, defying threats of
reprisals from paramilitaries.<br>
<br>
Associated Press reported on March 14 that six organisers of the march
had been murdered, and two dozen more received death threats from the
Black Eagles death squad.<br>
<br>
Moreover, Bilbao pointed out that in the immediate aftermath of this
event, it seemed unthinkable that the meeting of the South American
Community of Nations (Unasur, formed in April 2002 with the aim of
creating a European Union-style body across South America) that had been
scheduled to take place in Colombia at the end of the month could have
gone ahead.<br>
<br>
Such a turn of events would suit Washington, as the development of Unasur
threatens the ability of the US to exert its control over the region on
behalf of US corporate interests.<br>
<br>
Bilbao argued that the action was nonetheless a big mistake on the part
of Colombia. Bilbao argued that "they didn't attack Venezuela",
as Venezuelan foreign minister Nicolas Maduro had stated Venezuela
expected, "because of the firm stance that Venezuela has taken and
instead attacked Ecuador expecting a timid response … setting a precedent
for further repeat actions in Ecuador and to extend this to
Venezuela".<br>
<br>
However the firm stance by both Ecuador and Venezuela both of whose
governments broke diplomatic ties and moved troops to their Colombian
borders put Colombia on the back foot.<br>
<br>
In fact, rather than reverse the trend towards integration, the response
to Colombia's attack could mark an important regional realignment
assisting the process of regional integration.<br>
<br>
The most significant event was the summit of the Group of Rio held on
March 6 and 7. Televised live across the whole continent, representatives
of all Latin American governments debated the issue without the presence
of the US government.<br>
<br>
After a fiery debate, the meeting came to a unanimous decision to reject
the actions of the Colombian government and any further violation of the
sovereignty of another country. Crucially, the vote was a rejection of
the doctrine of "preventive war" that the US has pushed since
the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.<br>
<br>
Ecuador and Colombia are pushing for the March 17 meeting of the OAS (of
which the US is a member) to ratify the Group of Rio's motion. Ecuadorian
President Rafael Correa has stated bluntly that if the OAS meeting did
not condemn the aggression, that it should be thrown "in the dustbin
of history".<br>
<br>
Arguing that it would be "difficult for the US government to oppose
such a resolution", Valero asserted that "I don't believe the
United States has sufficient strength to crush the will of the Rio Group
countries".<br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
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