It seems Hugo Chavez should change careers. His Bolivarian 3rd World Liberation movement is losing steam. Even Progressive regimes like Brazil are distancing themselves from him. Chavez has increased his singing antics and even talks about Ancient Aliens on Mars. Clearly he is a man on the decline. His growing isolation in Latin America is due to his tightening ties with Iran. Most of them, even if sympathetic in rhetoric, know that these Islamists are trouble.
IPOJUCA, Brazil — Here on Brazil’s northeast coast, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez dreamed of building an oil refinery and naming it after a Brazilian adventurer who had fought for Venezuela’s independence. The joint venture with Brazil, he said in trips here, would help unify Latin America against his adversary, the United States.
The $15 billion refinery is now two years away from completion, but with little input from Venezuela or its mercurial president, who for years backed projects regionwide in his drive to make Venezuela the vanguard of a new era in Latin America.
Indeed, these days Chavez’s influence is waning across the region as Venezuela’s oil-powered economy has gone bust and concerns have been raised about his governing style, which includes the jailing of opponents.
[…]
When the group asked people to rate leaders in the Americas, Chavez finished second to last in its 2010 report. Even in Bolivia and Argentina, countries with warm relations with Venezuela, fewer than 35 percent of those polled had a favorable opinion of Chavez. “Evidently, what’s happening with Chavez is he’s not a leader of the region,” Lagos said.
Read the rest: Chavez’s influence wanes in Latin America
Hugo Chavez is sill a dangerous character. Venezuela has become a operations hub for Hizb’Allah and Al-Qaeda and his regional isolation means he will be reliant on these groups. Hopefully, his regime will collapse and Venezuela can be a normal nation again.
Maybe he should just pursue his true calling in life. Singing!
I know a Jazz Guitarist in Culver City who might be a good fit for his band!
Tags: Bolivarian Progressives, Bolivarianism, Hugo Chavez, Latin America
