Venezuela, United States, and American National Security

There is much going on in Venezuela that can have serious national security implications for the United States of America.  University students in Caracas, Venezuela, began to protest against the government of President Nicolas Maduro in March of 2014 because the streets of Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela were unsafe due to unprecedented crime. The inability, and some say the unwillingness, of the Venezuelan police to maintain law and order was the one key reason for the students' demonstrations.

Soon other people joined the students in their marches against the government. These were the workers who had not seen a cost of living increase in wages to keep up with the world-record-setting 57% inflation rate for their country. The Venezuelan workers were joined by women that not only felt unsafe in society, but also had to stand in lines for hours to receive their periodic apportionment of food staples - something never before seen even in a Venezuela that had moved farther and farther to the political left in an attempt to implement its version of the workers' paradise in Cuba.

In response to the protests President Maduro gave tacit approval for criminal bands to attack the marchers, set fire to parked vehicles, and shoot into apartment buildings and homes of suspected protesters and their sympathizers. President Maduro also turned a blind eye when elements of the various police entities in Venezuela began to incarcerate, rape, and torture those dissident marchers and any and all opponents of his government. Additionally, he "invited" Cuban military forces to go to Venezuela to "train" Venezuelan armed forces and police.  The Cuban did not hesitate to respond.

The repression unleashed on the Venezuelan people by its government is deadly. Human rights, something that the USA cares deeply about, have been trampled upon in Venezuela beyond any reasonably recognition, and the Venezuelan government continues to act with impunity as it continues to kill and imprison protesters.

The Venezuelan government under President Maduro has not shown any inclination toward desisting in usurping power and amending the Venezuelan constitution to meet its totalitarian objectives.  The government has jailed political opponents such as Leopoldo Lopez, and disenfranchised and impeached serving legislators such as Maria Corina Machado. Plus, the presence of Cuban troops on Venezuelan soil is a good indication that regardless of what the Venezuelan people want, the Cubans will remain, ala Soviet/Russian style.

The impact of the success of the Cuban-backed Venezuelan government’s repression will be very negative and detrimental to the USA. The Castro brothers hate the USA, and despite their rhetoric have sought every opportunity, from emptying Cuban insane asylums to training Libyan, North Korean, and Palestinian terrorists to wreak havoc on the US and its allies. In Latin America, Cuba has never stopped trying to spread its idea of socialism/communism by any means necessary.

The USA doesn't have as many allies in South America as it once did. By supporting the United Kingdom during the Falkland war in the 1980s, the USA communicated that the Organization of American States and any and all agreements for collective security notwithstanding, it was not going to support its geographical neighbors.

Additionally, when Chile was vying to join the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) ,USA customs inspectors found three grapes that contained cyanide in a ship full of grapes exported by Chile to the US. This incident really stung Chile, amazing though it was to find those three grapes. 

Chile is a country with a vibrant open market economy, and rightfully should have been the first Latin American country to join NAFTA after Canada and in place of Mexico. But alas, not many Americans can even pronounce the name of the country correctly, preferring to call it Chili, as in the food. Fewer still are the number of Americans that know the name of the Chilean capital city.

The Chileans and Argentines have never forgotten the snubs and have oriented their economic trade and amity toward Europe and Asia. (Argentina has gone as far as to consider allowing Russian military bases on its soil.)  Joined by Brazil in their subtle disdain for their north American neighbor leaves the USA with no warm friendships in the southern cone.

If Venezuela continues its path toward full implementation of Cuban Communism, and should the socialist government of Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa regain its momentum after its temporary stumble during that country’s mid-term elections, the USA's one and only remaining friend in south America, Colombia, will immediately be assailed.

Colombia has been fighting a civil war against communist/socialist insurgents for decades. Not very long ago the aggressive anti-insurgency approach of the then Colombian president, Alvaro Uribe, forced the major players of the insurgency to request peace talks, while minor insurgency factions continue the pressure. But, this doesn't mean that any of the insurgents want peace.  What this means is that they want to gain time by inconclusive and inane negotiations that will allow for supporters such as Cuban socialists, Venezuelan socialists, Ecuadorian socialists, Bolivian socialists, Nicaraguan socialists, and Salvadoran socialists to further solidify power, and help the socialists fight in Colombia. Given the indifference toward USA manifested by Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, it is a very real possibility that the only friend the USA has in South America will find itself surrounded and possibly worn down by the socialist countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This isn't political science. This is basic math. The numbers of opponents to the influence of the USA in Latin America has increased. These are not countries that could potentially have socialist/communist governments in the future. They already have them, and they don't like the USA. Coupled with the devil may care attitude of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, these socialist countries could present a united front that will promote a very anti-USA movement in the rest of Latin America and Caribbean. And with that, comes real national insecurity.

What happened?

Well, I'm sure that at some point it was a good idea to categorize people according to their ethnicity. The task was made simpler by enticing people with the idea that if they self-identified as this or that particular ethnic group, they could benefit from federal funds. While the promise of receiving federal funds was never actually made directly to those encouraged to self-identify, there was a very real message that at some point different ethnic groups would be able to benefit, perhaps monetarily or perhaps emotionally, from self-identification.

But, didn't we end up fractionalizing the country? Breaking it up? Creating divisions that perhaps should have been dealt with so as to create one homogeneous society?

What are your thoughts?

Don't visit Albania

I've been in Albania since early September 2009. Albania is, well, difficult to describe. Its people are incredibly hospitable, very hard-working, extremely critical of their situation, and fiercely nationalistic. That description should be enough to describe a socio-economic stew.

I am not going to discuss the history of Albania. It's already been done, and done better than I can ever attempt to do it. What I will write about are my experiences here; what I see, feel, and how I live.

I live in a two bedroom apartment/villa. It's modern, well heated, and the from all appearances well built. It has a bidet in my big bathroom, and that is more than I can say for many abodes in the United States of America. I had to install one in the house I own in the USA. My kitchen here is ample enough to have a table and four chairs. It has all modern appliances. My living room-dining room combination is roomy, and I can boast that I have a working wood fireplace.

The front of my apartment has a spacious balcony where I can sit and smoke a cigar and, if I am lucky, see the after glow of a beautiful Mediterranean sunset.

I live in Tirana. Tirana is the capital city of Albania, and it is a bustling city. Vehicular traffic in Tirana is heavy. There are people driving to and fro all hours of the day. There are people walking everywhere. Albania, after all, in in Europe where people walk instead of drive. Yet, it seems that here almost every one has a car, and that car is a Mercedes-Benz. It is rumored that there are more Mercedes-Benz per capita in Tirana than in any other city in the world. I think it's true.

I like Tirana. I like it because it is busy. People, cars, motorcycles, scooters, trucks. And people. Albanians complain about the congestion of people and cars in Tirana. Imagine if this capital city had no traffic problems, or if people chose to live in another city in the country? What statement would that make for the country if its capital city was not bustling? Few Albanians can answer these questions when I ask. I understand the source of their complaints. But, I am glad that Tirana is such a bustling city.

I called this piece "Don't visit Albania." I did this for a reason. Last year Albania had more tourists than any other country in the European continent. People are learning about Albania. Foreign visits are bound to be very positive for the country. Foreigners have different expectations than the local populace. Foreigners have demands, specifically in the area of customer service. These expectations and demands will make Albania grow, as it attempts to put its best face forward. Pity. I like Albania just the way it is. Don't visit Albania.