From Argentina’s Clarin newspaper: Resurrected U.S. Fourth Fleet Creates Suspicion Across South America

Why has the United States decided to resurrect the U.S. Navy’s Fourth Fleet, which has been in mothballs since the 1950s? And why has it chosen to do so now?

People in South America have been debating these questions for months now. Here WORLDMEETS.US presents an analysis that has been quoted widely by Latin American newspapers and politicians like Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro since it was published June 30th by Argentine newspaper Clarin.

For Clarin, Telma Luzzani poses the question this way to an Argentine analyst, who gives his response:

“What reason could the United States have to send such a powerful naval force to a region at peace, without nuclear weapons, without conflict or any real military threats? “They’re never going to admit that it’s because of our natural resources, but it’s no coincidence that this decision comes just as a structural change is underway in the global economy, in which reserves of fresh water, food and energy resources (which our region has in abundance) have assumed such vital strategic value,” said Clarín Khatchik Der Ghougassian, specialist on security issues at the University of San Andrés [Argentina].”

Luzzani continues:

“The commander of the Navy of Brazil, Julio Moura Neto, made it clear that his country will not under any circumstances accept any American naval intervention in Brazilian waters. There is a leader, Hugo Chávez, who is making life complicated for them. And there is a country – Brazil – with plans for leadership that isn’t necessarily opposed to the U.S., but rather takes power away from it.”

And how does this fit into Washington’s overall plans? Luzzani quotes Mexican researcher Ana Esther Cecena:

“The first was economic: with neo-liberalism, the U.S. rearranged the use of natural resources to benefit large multinationals and other political and economic groups. Due to the failure of the Free Trade Area of the Americas, it was not entirely successful. The second was legislative. It had Latin American constitutions – which were very nationalist – changed to allow the entry of foreign private capital and the shrinking of state interference. The third was military: the U.S. pushed for the approval of security laws that in some cases allow the free movement of the FBI or the CIA on our territory.”

By Telma Luzzani

Translated By Douglas Myles Rasmussen

June 30, 2008

Argentina – Clarin – Original Article (Spanish)

No world power takes important decisions without there being great motives behind it. In April, the United States announced that tomorrow, July 1st, after 58 years of inactivity, the Fourth Fleet of it powerful Southern Command will again begin to patrol Latin American waters, this time under the command of Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan. The resume of Kernan, who until now has been the supreme commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command, is no less worrisome. The Marine belongs to the SEAL group, an elite commando unit with men selected for the most grueling special operations. They are prepared to act under the most exacting and adverse conditions, almost always intervening in isolation from their command or other units.

They operated in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. The choice of Kernan for the Fourth Fleet, even the Pentagon admits, is highly unusual. It’s the first time that a SEAL has held such a post. What’s more, with this decision, the Southern Command has achieved the same level of importance as the Central Command, which operates the Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf.

What reason could the United States have, to send such a powerful naval force to a region at peace, without nuclear weapons, without conflict or any real military threats? “They’re never going to admit that it’s because of our natural resources, but it’s no coincidence that this decision comes just as a structural change is underway in the global economy, in which reserves of fresh water, food and energy resources (which our region has in abundance) have assumed such vital strategic value,” said Clarín Khatchik Der Ghougassian, specialist on security issues at the University of San Andrés [Argentina].

READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, along with continuing translated foreign press coverage of how the world perceives our nation.