President Bush's tour through Mexico and Central and South America (highlighted in the NY Times article "Answering Latin Left, Bush Pledges to Help Poor") is hypocritical. While Bush has been focusing on wars about oil and forcing US democracy in the middle east, the governments and people of the southern West hemisphere have been acting.
I don't blame Hugo Chavez in trying to find an alternative to the market system that hasn't been working in Venezuela. His instillation of anti-US sentiments isn't unreasonable either. Bush has condoned building a wall to block off all southern nations!
Bush's trip is most likely the sightseeing tour of a lame-duck president. (Just look at the picture in the NY Times article!)
3.14.2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I dont like your use of the words 'war for oil'.
ReplyDeleteI think this tag is just as charged and unreasonable as the Right's 'was on terror'. This isnt about spreading freedom around the world, but its also not just about oil.
Although I am sure oil played a role in this, I seriously doubt everything that has happened was simply a strategic move to safegaurd some oil for american consumption. I believe that the Bush white house truly beleives it is fighting 'terror' accross the world and protecting americans and ridding the world of some sort of evil. The oil is just a good bonus that keeps wealthy people with power happy with the pres. I dont think that makes it right or anything obviously, but im saying i dont like when people cheapen this whole thing to 'oil'.
Doing so only simplifies the situation to a point where I wonder whether an analysis based on that simplified view will produce real or workable solution.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYou are right. The war in Iraq is more than a war about oil. I was exaggerating in my post. That was is important, but the way it has been absorbing the government and people and resources of the US is not appropriate. Bush has been focusing his attention halfway across the world when important things are happening to his neighbors. I guess all I'm saying is that the US's priorities might need to be realigned.
ReplyDelete