An Argentine views Chávez, Latin America, and U.S. hegemony

this op-ed was prompted by the chávez rally here in buenos aires last weekend as bush was visiting in montevideo, just across the rio de la plata... it's as articulate and rational a view as i've yet read...

While many in Argentina would, nevertheless, not hesitate to call the Venezuelan president a clown or a madman, it’s worth keeping in mind that a very heady dose of megalomania is a prerequisite for even dreaming of confronting a rival as overwhelmingly powerful as the United States — which is also led by a president viewed, in many quarters, as a clown and a madman.

[...]

Two major Argentine characteristics are in play here: intrinsic distrust and the need for immediate gratification. Mr. Chávez awakens both of these inclinations, and it’s interesting to see them balance each other out. The dream of a single-currency Latin American Union, modeled on the European Union, to create, insofar as possible, a buffer against the hegemony of the United States no longer seems so impossible.

for many years i have thought that if latin american, certainly one of the largest, richest, and most beautiful areas of the world, and one which, with the exception of brazil, shares a common language, could put aside its endless bickering and work together, it would be an incredibly potent global force... and, yes, they would like to accomplish that without having to toady to the united states to do it...

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