To the Bush Administration, Chavez is a communist Simon Bolivar who fetishizes Fidel Castro. But that's not the main problem with him. His ambition of turning South America into a Greater Latinate Co-Prosperity Sphere isn't such a bad idea, as, in proper hands, it potentiates the cheaper corruption of the region. And while it is in very poor taste for a dictator to read and quote Noam Chomsky, he only embarrasses himself. The problem is this: not only is Hugo stealing their oil money, he's giving it away to people who don't deserve it. For that, he must be killed. Via the Miami Herald:
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government has pledged more than $8.8 billion in aid, financing and energy funding in Latin America and the Caribbean so far in 2007. Bandes is a Venezuelan state development bank. Below is a list of pledges sorted by type.ENERGY:
- $3.55 billion. Nicaragua: To build 150,000 barrel-a-day oil refinery. (Source: Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, April 30)
- $1.6 billion. Estimated financing per year under preferential oil deals to at least 17 countries. (Source: Chavez, March 15)
- $340 million. Nicaragua: Grants and loans to supply oil, nine electricity generators. (Source: Venezuela government statement, March 7)
- $240 million. Bolivia: Exploration of gas and oil fields. (Source: Bolivian Hydrocarbons Ministry, Aug. 8)
- $170 million. Bolivia: To build two liquid natural gas extraction plants. (Source: Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, April 30)
- $100 million. Nicaragua: To supply 32 electricity generators. (Source: Chavez, Jan. 10)
- $89 million. Nicaragua: To build 120 megawatt electricity plant. (Source: Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, April 30)
- $80 million. Haiti: To build 10,000 barrel-a-day oil refinery. (Source: Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, April 30)
- $63.7 million. Jamaica: For state oil company to buy 49-percent stake in Jamaican refinery. (Source: Jamaican Energy Ministry, May 18)
- $56 million. Haiti: To build 60-megawatt electricity plant. (Source: Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, April 30)
- $30 million. Bolivia: To build diesel electricity generation plant. (Source: Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, April 30)
- $28 million. Bolivia: To build thermoelectric plant. (Source: Bolivian Hydrocarbons Ministry, Aug. 8)
- $8 million. Cuba: To build liquefied natural gas re-gasification plant. (Source: Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, April 30)
- $5 million. Bolivia: Electricity-saving project. (Source: Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, April 30)
- $4.7 million. Bolivia: To set up 15 service stations to distribute fuel. (Source: Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, April 30)
- $4 million. Haiti: To build LNG re-gasification plant. (Source: Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, April 30)
- $200,000. Ecuador: Donation of two drills for oil exploration. (Source: Chavez, Aug. 9)
ENERGY FUNDING TOTAL: $6.369 billion
FINANCING:
- $1 billion. Argentina: Planned bond purchases, including $500 million in bonds purchased in August. (Source: Chavez, Aug. 7)
- $100 million. Bolivia: Planned purchase of Bolivian government bonds. (Source: Cabezas, Aug. 2)
- $30 million. Nicaragua: Debt forgiveness. (Source: Chavez, Jan 10)
- $8 million. Guyana: Debt forgiveness. (Source: Rodolfo Sanz, Venezuela's deputy foreign minister for Latin America and the Caribbean, Aug. 9)
FINANCING TOTAL: $1.138 billion
DEVELOPMENT AID:
- $250 million. Fund to finance joint economic projects in region's socialist-oriented countries. (Source: Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, April 30)
- $150 million. Dominica: Funding for housing, airport upgrade, scholarships. (Source: Chavez, Feb. 15)
- $135 million. Argentina: Bandes loan for Sancor dairy cooperative. (Source: Venezuelan Finance Minister Rodrigo Cabezas, Feb. 22)
- $88 million. Nicaragua: Grants and loans for tractors, AIDS treatment, sending 86 Nicaraguan athletes to sports tournament, 100,000 Hepatitis B vaccines, etc. An additional $2 million listed below under humanitarian aid. (Source: Venezuelan government statement, March 7)
- $30 million. Bolivia: Bandes capital for low-interest loans. (Source: Bandes president, May 7)
- $25 million. Ecuador: Bandes capital for new branch to offer low-interest loans. (Source: Bandes President Rafael Isea Romero, May 24)
- $21 million. Haiti: Fund to build homes, acquire unspecified equipment and provide medical aid by supporting the work of Cuban specialists offering health care to Haitians. (Source: Venezuelan government statement, March 3)
- $20 million. Bolivia: Grants for local infrastructure projects in health, schools, sports and other areas. (Source: Bolivian Public Finance Minister Luis Arce, April 12).
- $20 million. Nicaragua: Loans for rural poor, health care and education. (Source: Chavez, Jan. 10)
- $20 million. Nicaragua: Capital for Bandes branch for low-interest agricultural loans. (Source: Bandes president, May 24)
- $10 million. Nicaragua: Funding for social projects. (Source: Chavez, Jan. 10)
- $2 million. Guyana: Donation to build a homeless shelter. (Source: Guyanese Foreign Minister Rudy Insanally, Aug. 2)
- $875,000. Bolivia: Computers to digitalize Bolivia's national identification card system. (Source: Bolivian government announcement, April 13.)
DEVELOPMENT AID TOTAL: $772 million
INFRASTRUCTURE:
- $350 million. Nicaragua: Donation to build Pacific-Atlantic highway. (Source: Nicaragua Infrastructure Minister Pablo Fernando Martinez, Jan. 22)
- $150 million. Bolivia: Asphalt plant. (Source: Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, April 30)
- $57 million. Haiti: Funding to expand Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien airports. (Source: Venezuelan government statement, March 3)
- $5.5 million. Bolivia: Funding for paving streets and other improvements to poor neighborhoods in La Paz. (Source: Bolivian government statement, July 14)
- $3 million. Haiti: Donation for garbage trucks. (Source: Chavez, March 13)
INFRASTRUCTURE AID TOTAL: $565.5 million
HUMANITARIAN AID:
- $15 million. Bolivia: Donation for flood victims. (Source: Chavez, Feb. 26 and March 2)
- $2 million. Nicaragua: Free medicine. Announced as part of larger $90 million in grants and loans. (Source: Venezuelan government statement, March 7)
- $1.5 million. Peru: Two planeloads of earthquake relief supplies, with more planned. (Armando Laguna, Venezuelan ambassador to Peru, Aug. 22)
HUMANITARIAN AID TOTAL: $18.5 million
MILITARY AID:
- $10 million. Bolivia: Funding to fix military barracks. (Source: Bolivian Defense Minister Walker San Miguel, May 21 and 22).
MILITARY TOTAL: $10 million
TOTAL OF PUBLIC PLEDGES: $8.87 billion
Geez! Pretty generous for a communist.
8 comments:
The neoliberal papers alternate between solemnly minatory scoldings and hysterical racist outrage when they report on Chavez. I don't think they really care that he's promoting benevolent, paternalist socialism. It's policy coherence and successful steps along a clear line that offend them.
In the reporting on him that attempts some historical perspective, they go straight from his failed coup to his successful run for office. The years in between are elided. One might assume he spent some of that time building a political machine, with allies and popular support, and that there were conditions that made that support overwhelming enough to protect him against military coups.
Hard work and grass roots organizing get a lot of lip service, but neoliberals prefer them to be driven by credentialed insiders.
They like their religion the same way. They'll gush over the cradle and the cross, but Jesus's adulthood is recounted with an emphasis on the tragedy of defying authority.
And this is why they hate the other ...ehm...thug !!
Scruggs,
As you know, socialism is of the Devil, with whom Chavez consorted between the coup attempt and his election.
One way they will seek to take him out is by making him more paranoid so that the high need for security stifles the good effects of everything else. It appears to be working. What choice does he have?
Still, he's like the worst nightmare possible for the neolibs. He's Castro With Oil.
Naj,
Thanks for that link. Haven't had much time to post lately, but that is excellent grist for the ol' mill.
President Chavez is the only national leader I can think of who is a decent, sincere, generous man. In the ranks of politicians, then -- particularly in the U.S. -- he is a deadly alien virus. The incessant lies of the politicians about Chavez are only the least damaging of their antibodies.
For a couple of weeks I have been thinking about putting together this list and thanks to you it has fallen into my lap. This is what you might call his external strategy.
His internal strategy is even more impressive. Yesterday the National Assembly approved the changes to the constitution which will handily pass in the coming national referendum and give him unprecedented ability to move forward. He is also well on the way to consolidating the 30 or so parties that support him into one Socialist Party of Venezuela.
This will allow him to kick it into high gear and I *really* mean high gear and he fully intends to do so.
At the same time he is preparing for asymetrical warfare ala "sunni baathist". If the US takes his govt down he will probably ally with the FARC and then we will have a party.
He is nominally allied with Putin and Ahmedinejad who are fighting the same war against the globalized transnational corporations and their oligarchs- Putin being the one who essentially has already won.
I think the only thing that can take him out is $20 oil and I'm not sure that can do it.
The major key to his success has been organizing the "shantytowns" or "barrios" in the style of Saul Alinsky. The globalized transnationals tells us that they only need 20% of the population in the labor force. He has organized the other 80% and is a model for many places including Brazil.
There really has never been anybody like him in the south and he is only just now getting to "showtime"
Here are a couple of ringside seats from which to watch the show
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/
http://www.chavezcode.com/
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