The death of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has elicited so much commentary that it’s hard to believe that the charismatic, paranoid, egalitarian, totalitarian, nationalistic, anti-Semitic, hemisphere-altering, West-bashing friend of Cuba and Iran but major oil supplier to the United States died of something as distressingly human as cancer. His role in guiding a nation that became more economically compassionate to the poor, but also more violent and less democratic, is legendary. At some stage in the last decade he replaced Cuba’s Fidel Castro as the Latin American leader that North Americans loved to loathe.
Now, however, Chavez’s death creates an opportunity for the United States to finally make our relationships with our southern and Latin American neighbors less about their leaders and more about common interests and sound policies.
Comments
I stopped reading when I saw that Chavez was anti-Semitic. Lady you are the paranoid one.
Can't believe I'm doing this - but Kayyem is correct.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/13/chavez-jews-referendum-opinions-contributors_0215_rowan_schoen.html
He also expelled Israel's ambassador and demanded the presidents of Israel and the U.S. be prosecuted for mass murder. Immediately afterward, a pro-Chávez Web site called for boycotting Venezuela's small Jewish community, expelling Jews from the country and launching protests against the Israeli embassy and Jewish synagogues.
But I disagree about refugees from Cuba - we have (at least in recent history) accepted refugees from communist states.
Dakay,
Learn before you comment. Chavez repeatedly made anti-semitic comments and has also given aid and comfort to the Latin American branch of Hezbollah.
This would make anyone believe there is a God......Hugo Chavaz like Castro are two despots you get who claim they are for the people....sound familar...they are helping the poor????then why are the poor ..poorer??? take over companies and others land....tax the people they call rich unless they are their friends...elections are a fraud....promise free everything...schools, housing and medical etc.....you are owed and I will take care of you forever....etc.
does this sound how this administration is beginning to act...the marxist way....media with helping them or if you are not with me I will crush you by limiting free speech, guns .....and then you have Mayor Bloomberg regulating everything not nailed down in NYC...watch out people...Cuba or Venezuela here we come.
Helping the poor like Juan Perón did - by destorying the economy.
People like you are what's wrong in this country. Everything is viewd through the lens of right wing extremism. "Everything that's not going well is the fault of the Pres. The worst two financial disasters this country has had have been born with Republicans in the White House. In both cases the financial recovery has been guided with Democrats in the White House, and in both cases the right wing has been crying socialism. Give me a break ! You might also note that the stock market hit a record high yesterday.
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I traveled to Cuba on a People to People Program now being allowed bu my government. I was floored when I discovered that the US embargo on Cuba has lasted 50 years. Indeed, for the last 21 years the UN has voted to stop the embargo. It is senseless to me and I know anyone who googles Cuban Embargo would come to the same conclusion. It is time for the US to renew normal relations with Cuba and probably Venezuela as well. All of us would benefit economically.