However, Bolivia may be latest Castro/Chavez victory*** After weeks of often deadly protests led primarily by leftist-organized indigenous Indians, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada was recently forced to resign as president of Bolivia. He was replaced by his Vice President Carlos Mesa, former television journalist with no political experience. No one knows how long Mesa will be able to remain in office. The country is bordering on chaos.
While some see this as simply another populist revolt against an elected “neo-liberal” reformer in Latin America, some -- more accurately -- see it as one more defeat for the United States as well as for democracy and free markets in the region.
It is also a victory for Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and Venezuela’s dictator-in-waiting, Hugo Chavez.
..........Many see the decrepit Castro (who still has a huge, loyal following in Latin America developed and cultivated over the past four decades) as the brains behind this effort, with his alter ego Chavez (using Venezuela’s large territory and vast oil revenues) as the logistical and financial support for this new subversion campaign. Some of the coordination may also be conducted through the Sao Paolo Forum, the Castro-inspired anti-American movement founded in Brazil by Lula da Silva in 1990. ***