4 September 2009

No Mas Chavez? Think again...

A group of Colombians are meant to be behind the organization of a worldwide protest against Chavez, aptly named "No Mas Chavez" or no more Chavez. This is the same group that organized in 2008 a similar, and very successful, protest called "No mas FARC" against Colombia's narcoterrorist group. There's so much wrong with this event that I will give a bit of context.
  1. Colombia has a trade surplus with Venezuela that runs north of $7 billion per annum. How many of today's protesters have thought about raising the issue with Colombian companies, and, more importantly, what are the chances of those companies to stop trading with Venezuela over political issues?

  2. President Uribe of Colombia is sitting on a pile of evidence that demonstrates, beyond reasonable doubt, that Chavez supports, aids and abets the FARC. Given that organizers first rallied around the issue of FARC, how many of them are pressuring President Alvaro Uribe to use that evidence against Chavez once and for all, instead of dosing it in private dealings like bargaining chips?

  3. What power, real and tangible, to change things internally in Venezuela has a facebook collective, same as twitters in Iran perhaps?

  4. In light of the release by Scottish/English authorities of the Lockerbie bomber on the basis of oil/gas deals to be had with Libya's dictator, can anyone with a modicum of understanding of realpolitik contemplate goals of event as anything more than a catharsis opportunity?

  5. Did those protesting in London's Trafalgar Square arranged, at the very least, an appearance in the Fourth Plint?
No more Chavez is akin to no more Venezuela. Only those ignorant of our contemporary history and idiosyncrasy can come up with such an impossible to achieve motto. The fight against Chavez won't be won by standing in the Fourth Plint or handing petitions to his Chilean minister at the OAS. That much is certain.

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