Latin America Speaks to Libya: A Contradiction of Policy

Cracks in the narrative between Latin America’s populist and unpopular leftists and the wave of revolution in the Middle East is bubbling to the surface as pro-US fiefdoms and anti-US dictators all seems to be drowning under the popular movements taking hold of the entire Middle Eastern region. Like their European and American counterparts, leaders in Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua are trying to position themselves correctly in order to avoid the inevitable fallout from the new popular leaders that will take control of the region. Their past relations with leaders like Gadhafi might leave some egg on the face of Chavez and the Castros if the close support for Libya’s and Iran’s leaders is used against them after Gadhafi is kicked out of Libya or is killed. Hours of video and pictures and even a futbol stadium named after Chavez in Tripoli ties Chavez and others to Gadhafi, and statements from a UK news agency that Gadhafi had escaped to Venezuela and current claims that one of his sons is staying on Margarita Island have run through the international media. While it seems Gadhafi is in Libya still, links between Venezuela and Libya will not go unnoticed.

Fidel Castro commented on the crisis in Libya praising the government and Gadhafi for pushing out their colonial masters and becoming an independent nation apart from the West like Cuba and Venezuela. Fidel went on to claim that NATO and the West was pushing to take over Libya in order to control its oil, similar to their strategy in Iraq and much of the old colonial resource/oil rich nations. Fidel put his support behind Gadhafi stating that he supports the leader and Libya’s people against NATO’s actions to take over Libyan oil. Chavez praised Gadhafi via Twitter, yes Twitter, stating “Viva Libya and its independence! Gaddafi is facing civil war,” supporting Gadhafi it seems as well as the people being killed by Gadhafi’s jets? While one can understand the fight against Imperialism spoken about by Fidel and Chavez as well, it is hard to believe how Venezuela’s popularly elected leader can support a massacre of a popular movement in Iran’s Green Revolution and today in Libya and continue to show open support for a government that oppresses its people and kills them with fighter planes and mercenaries. Chavez himself won popular support by offering assistance to the lower income population in one of the parts of the world with the largest income disparity between rich and poor, competing only with Africa. Now that the poor and oppressed fight on the streets for their freedoms in Libya and to not be arrested for their ideas like Chavez claimed to be in the past, Chavez should support those who would be his natural allies, the Libyan people and Iranian popular youth and their rights. Populist leaders cannot condone a Gadhafi and Evin Prison or the basic rights of innocents being violated by those people in those places.

Opponents of Chavez and Castro have always stated that those governments, while populist initially, can become dictatorships when all the power is concentrated in one individual or group of individuals over a long period of time. Gadhafi claiming he is like the Queen of England does not hold water as the Queen informally has no real power in the British Government and must only watch over the powers but does not make any real decisions in their government beyond signing off on legislation. Gadhafi’s claims that Al Qaeda and Drugs in Coffee started these protests, but does that mean Chavez and Castro are now also anti Al Qaeda, Coffee and Drugs? Gadhafi has the power to kill his own people if they protest, and has always exercised this power when he willed it. Queen Elizabeth at best looks good on our money. When Chavez and Ahmadinejad state publicly that killing their own people is a crime and supports those people and institutions that repress any opposition through torture and death, then they will have to speak to their own people and ask if their power in legitimate or the result of murdering and disappearing their own opposition. The Libyan people know what the answer is to that question, but I question whether Chavez knows or accepts fire being put on Libyans simply for asking to be kept safe. If not, Chavez may one day have to ask Gadhafi for advice on how to handle such a situation, if Gadhafi survives.