While President Obama was visiting El Salvador – it seems that the people of that country had a few other things on their minds. One of them being: Are Hugo Chavez and his closest Latin American allies worried that if Libyan dictator Mohummar Qaddafi is toppled, their own populations might take note of the precedent? For El Salvador’s El Mundo, Dr. Mauricio E. Colorado writes that President Chavez’ erratic behavior and wild charges against the United States show that he’s cracking under the pressure of watching the allied attacks on his friend and ally in Libya.
For El Mundo of El Salvador, Dr. Mauricio E. Colorado writes in part:
Dictators across the Americas have opted to support the Libyan government for fear that their own populations will react in a similar fashion. They propose a dialogue, which would allow recent dissent against these tyrannical governments to settle down, wanting to ensure that Libya’s situation doesn’t become an example to other countries. Chávez, Correa [Ecuador], Morales [Bolivia], and Ortega [Nicaragua] have all scrambled to defend “their leader” Qaddafi, making sure to have his support should they face a similar situation in their respective countries. (The pinnacle of cynicism is Ortega, who took up arms against Somoza for insisting on remaining in power, but now plans to do the same, despite a constitutional provision forbidding it).
But the most nervous about the events in North Africa is undoubtedly Chávez, who sees his end on the horizon and has begun to rant against the United States, accusing it of wanting to steal oil from Libya and Venezuela. But his hackneyed argument hasn’t had the desired effect, because the entire world knows that the huge nation to the north doesn’t need to steal anything; because it buys oil with U.S. dollars nations across the world gladly accept. Chávez’ panic is bringing him to the breaking point, since he knows full well that Libya is a thousand times better armed than Venezuela, and that this hasn’t proven an obstacle to proceeding with military action – action taken not only by his “sworn enemy” the “empire,” but by the entire community of nations, especially those in Europe.
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