The Changing Dynamic in Latin America
By Douglas Farah
Several recent stories highlight the growing dangers faced in Latin America, where many of the once-idealistic leaders of the old Left are now making alliances of convenience to counter U.S. influence in the region.
The danger is the mixture of once-national issues with transnational threats that are beyond the control of the old Left-Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales in Bolivia, and others to a lesser degree.
These leaders may see themselves as populists addressing years of historic inequities in their homelands, but their strategic alliances are ranging dangerously far afield, into sponsors of state terrorism and the growing nexus with transnational criminal syndicates.
There is, of course, the Iranian spending spree in Latin America, highlighted, as Andy Cochran has noted. The alliance of Tehran and Caracas to build a canal through Nicaragua, at a cost of $350 million, is not not necessarily a bad thing for the region, and has been talked about for decades.
But why now, when Tehran has no trade or strategic interest in Nicaragua? Already strained financially, it is unlikely to give a costly gift to a country that is far from its sphere of influence.
However, that sphere of influence is greatly expanded if one looks at Hezbollah and its activities around the region. My full blog is here.
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