Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Chavez goes to the Souht: The counterattack

Authors:
José Alberto López Rafaschieri and Luis Alberto López Rafaschieri
www.morochos.net

Barack Obama came to Brazil, Chile and El Salvador last week. From there, he launched criticisms against the castrocommunist models of the region and congratulated the countries with democratic political systems. At the end of that trip, like two candidates vying to win over the electorate, Chavez announced a similar tour through Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia and Colombia, trying to reheat the anti-US sentiment and the sympathy for the Cuban-Venezuelan socialism.

Chavez's journey has the potential to make more noise than Obama's visit. Of the four countries to be visited, Bolivia is the place where Chavez has the greatest opportunity to cause more controversy, because Evo Morales is carrying, just at this moment, an intense campaign to recover the Bolivian coast, which surely will be supported by Chavez with his characteristic imprudence.

In another idea, the visit to Colombia and the non-visit to Brazil are events that should not be overlooked. The stop in the land of Santander evidence that relations between Caracas and Bogota are narrowing, despite ideological differences. While the non-visit to Brazil has a contrary interpretation. In his journey through the South, Chavez will border the Latin America's largest economy without going to say hello to President Dilma Rousseff, making it clear to Itamaraty that Chavez and his petrodollars are not happy with Obama's recent visit to Brazil, nor with the distance the new Brazilian president has shown with the "Bolivarian revolution."


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Friday, March 25, 2011

Obama in Latin America: The transition to democracy

Authors:
Luis Alberto López Rafaschieri and José Alberto López Rafaschieri
www.morochos.net

The U.S. president traveled to Latin America. Barack Obama visited Brazil, Chile and El Salvador, on a five-day tour organized by the White House. Drug trafficking, terrorism, free trade, human rights, etc., were among the topics covered, but of all these issues, the transition to democracy could be one of the most remarkable.

It is no coincidence that the three countries visited by Barack Obama have had a recent political history that shows the successful replacement of authoritarianism with democracy. Until 1985, Brazil was ruled by military juntas that were gradually replaced by civilian governments. In Chile, the dictator Augusto Pinochet was deposed in 1988 to make way for a golden age of democratic reforms. And in El Salvador, a bloody civil war ended in 1992, leaving behind years of political instability and despotism.

Obama's visit to these three countries has been accompanied by criticism of the Cuban political system and Latin American leaders "who cling to bankrupt ideologies to justify their own power", in clear reference to Hugo Chavez. In addition, the tour is parallel to the beginning of U.S. military operations in Libya and to the anti-dictatorship revolutions in the Arab world, making it clear that one of the main messages the U.S. president sought to send, during his visit to Latin America, is associated to revive the Western model of democracy.


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Saturday, March 19, 2011

Polls for Peru's presidential election

Authors:
José Alberto López Rafaschieri and Luis Alberto López Rafaschieri
www.morochos.net

The upcoming April 10, 2011, Peruvians will elect a new president and members of the National Congress of the Republic of Peru. The contest involves several personalities of the Peruvian politics, like Alejandro Toledo, Keiko Fujimori and Ollanta Humala.

In one recent opinion poll, developed by Ipsos, the presidential candidate with more support is Alejandro Toledo -Peru Posible- with 27%; followed by Keiko Fujimori -Force 2011- with 22%; Luis Castañeda -Solidaridad Nacional- with 17%; Ollanta Humala -Gana Peru- with 16%; and Pablo Kuczynski -Gran Cambio- with 10%.

According to Peru's electoral system, if none of the presidential candidates gets 50% + 1 of valid votes, a second electoral round should be performed, involving only the two leading candidates of the first round. This means that, assuming the above-mentioned opinion survey, the 2011 Peruvian presidential elections would be decided in a runoff, in which Alejandro Toledo and Keiko Fujimori would participate. That is, a competition between the daughter of the last dictator of Peru against the leader of the so-called "peaceful resistance" that overthrew him.


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Saturday, March 12, 2011

The male chauvinist nature of castro-chavism

Authors:
Luis Alberto López Rafaschieri and José Alberto López Rafaschieri
www.morochos.net

We always remember that the governments of Cuba and Venezuela are enemies of democracy, but few times we consider the impact of such authority models on the so-called gender equality.

It is not possible to build a more equitable society, in terms of social roles of men and women, where a military warlord assumes he is the one with the right to govern. In Cuba and Venezuela, the scheme of one man that holds indefinitely the highest authority of the nation reinforces the stereotype that men are superior to women.

Worse, in the case of Cuba or Venezuela, it is not only that the same man is always occupying the role of head of state, but also the government is exercised with abuse of power and repression, inculcating despotism in the male population.

Even something as simple as Chavez's constant radio and television official interruptions symbolize the political discrimination against women under the Cuban-Venezuelan schemes. Meanwhile Chavez spoke in all media, for hours, no women in Venezuela have a similar right, which is understood by the general population, especially children and adolescents, as if the man had more right to speak and lead.

So serious are these issues that the third Millennium Development Goal of the UN seeks "greater participation and representation of women in politics and decision-making of States", and UNICEF indicates that "the distribution of socially constituted roles too often frustrate the potential of girls and women". Few days after the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, it is not a bad idea to include the Castro-Chavista authority model in the Latin American debate on gender equality.


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Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Gaddafi and the Latin American radical left

Authors:
José Alberto López Rafaschieri and Luis Alberto López Rafaschieri
www.morochos.net

Daniel Ortega was the first to speak in defense of Gaddafi, giving moral and diplomatic support to the repression in Libya. Subsequently, Fidel Castro appeared, not only to offer help such as Ortega, but also to use Cuba's resources, according to journalist Hugh Miles, to send military pilots for bombing, using warplanes, against ordinary people in the Libyan streets.

And after a relatively long waiting time, trying to find a better opportunity, Chavez spoke, but he only reaffirmed the support their comrades in Cuba and Nicaragua did before him.

Due to the bloody repression of the protests taking place in Libya at present, Gaddafi has lost the support of almost everyone, including the Arab League. However, in Latin America, those who say the word "people" every day fall short when it comes time to do something truly democratic. For the Latin American radical left, the protection of a violent socialist revolution is above the defense of human rights, despite the political cost this position would have on their images, and despite being a small group that contradicts the widely held view on the situation in Libya.


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