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| Scenes of a sweltering Venezuelan Spring: (top-left) a smoky Caracas, (top-right) Plaza Francia in Altamira, (bottom-left) Plaza Bolivar in downtown, and (bottom-right) a mural in memory of the late Hugo Chavez. |
Thursday, April 17, 2014
My un-Holy Week in Venezuela
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I like your blog. You seem smart and well traveled, so I have a question for you. If socialism is the problem in places like Cuba and Venezuela, what is problem in places like El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico? I lived in those places. In El Salvador you cannot leave your home at night at all because of roving gangs of gun-toting youth. In Guatemala rape, kidnappings and vigilante killings are a national crisis. Honduras had the highest murder rate in the world as recently as 2012 and it was there that my business partner was kidnapped and his two companions sexually assaulted. Mexico has seen 40,000 die in a drug war. All four countries are awash in drugs, corruption, crushing poverty, and unconscionable inequality. And all four are capitalist countries, two of which receive billions in direct aid from the U.S. and still can't get their shit together, Meanwhile Venezuela and Cuba are the recipients of billions in covert aid from the U.S. meant to undermine the governments and destroy public confidence. How could any country survive such an onslaught of cash? Having been to Cuba, I can assure you with no worry of contradiction that you would rather live there than El Salvador. Your foray into the impoverished former red light districts on Havana could not, on any day, happen in San Salvador, or Guatemala City, or Teguchigalpa (possibly it could in Mexico City). My point is your formulation is too simple. If socialism is the problem in Cuba and Venezuela, then surely capitalism must be the problem in the four basket case countries I mentioned. That is a tit for tat comparison. But is it true? Or is the problem with all those countries their relationships with the U.S? If you are indeed as thoughtful as you seem, I think you'll easily see that blaming socialism for Cuba's and Venezuela's problems (particularly in a world where socialism works fine where it is allowed to operate without covert U.S. interference, and where socialist programs are the most popular in every country, even the U.S.) is simply playing the propaganda card. As one of my friends often says, “Come on, man.”
ReplyDeletep.s. I'd share my info for a reply, but in this crazy time I will not attach my details to any comments critical of the U.S. What a world, eh, that I actually thought it was a prudent idea to write this using wi-fi on a public plaza rather than in my own home? Travel well.
Honduras is scary. I've been to San Pedro Sula. A journalist was hacked to pieces when I was there. The problem is not capitalism. It's age-old corruption, inept leadership and an entrenched, selfish oligarchy. This is the same problem throughout Latin America, I believe. The rich refuses to share, which is quite odd for a region that is supposedly devout Catholic.
ReplyDeleteNever been to El Salvador nor Guatemala, but I've heard the maras are creating havoc over there. I blame the US for exporting gang culture over there and for the "war on drugs" that has brought so much violence to those countries. They are collateral damage for being in the supply pipeline to the biggest drug market in the world. It's a case of geographic bad luck. This applies to Mexico as well.
I've lived in Mexico. I believe they were some of the best times of my life. Mexico City is totally undeserving of its rep. Save for the traffic and pollution, Mexico City is simply GREAT. The mega city is economically vibrant and liberal. It's mayor is a Socialist, for fucks sake, which is why its social and green programs are some of the best I have seen. The drug violence problem is not its fault. It's the stupid "Prohibition" policies of the US that is bringing so much trouble for Mexico. If the demand is not removed, new cartels will always spring up to handle the supply.
Cuba is bitter sweet for me. I saw its beauty and potential. The thing is, the revolution, for all its hype, has nothing but itself to blame. I mean, there are other variants of Socialism that work. They just have to look at Social Democracy in Europe. They didn't have to reinvent the wheel, but chose to do so, with disastrous results.
Venezuela is simply going to the dogs. It's problem is very evident: inept and corrupt leadership. They can't even properly implement a Socialist Revolution. Say what you want about Fidel Castro, but that man knew how to run a revolution (but a terrible economic manager nonetheless). Can't say the same thing for Hugo Chavez and his chosen successor, the bus driver cum President Nicolas Maduro. I am telling you, that revolution will devour itself when the oil largesse stops flowing.
I agree Mexico is a wonderful country and Mexico city is a city that anybody can easily enjoy... in spite of its association (internationally) with drugs. But yes if there is no demand, specially from its neighboring developed country, the drug cartel might have been long gone...although I wonder what's the demand locally in Mexico?
ReplyDeleteBut I think it is also unfair to always blame US for any country's misery. At the end of the day, each government must take responsibility to the state of its country. Japan was aided by the US to recover after the atomic bomb (and US should really provide aid for it) and they did well. Japan is now in G12 countries.
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