Today, Tuesday, 18 January 2005. Washington reporting:
Dr Condoleeza Rice, President G. W. Bush's serving National Security Advisor and his nominee to be Secretary of State appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which has the constitutional duty to begin the process of her confirmation for this the most senior of cabinet positions.
For those interested in inter-American affairs, the most significant information came as the result of questions from the members concerning Venezuela, Haiti and Cuba.
Venezuela provoked the most fireworks. The Senators and the nominee were in total agreement that President Hugo Chavez Frias was totally committed to the subversion of "democracy", being engaged in muzzling the press and media and in suppression of his domestic opposition. Grave concerns were expressed on the importation of weapons from Russia. Interestingly enough the Senators gave serious weight to the purchase by Venezuela of a large number of small-arms. The claim was advanced that this would "de-stabilize" the region.
This information, if correct would indicate the plans of the Venezuelan regime to deter threatened US intervention by creation of a mass militia on the Cuban model are well advanced. It is, in this reporter's view, only because of the existance of 1.5 million militia members in Cuba that this nation has not been invaded since the collaps of its Soviet ally.
The Senators did also raise the issue of the reported sale by Russia to Venezuela of a squadron of MIG 29 fighter aircraft and of an unspecified number of helicopters. But it was interesting, in the light of the resistance encountered by imperial forces in Iraq at the hands of well-armed militias, the weight placed upon the small-arms sales.
It would thus appear that the Chavez government seek to take advantage of the period when US forces would be tied-down in the Mid-East to prepare a warm reception for when the Empire's bankruptcy causes it to seek the appropriation of Venezuela's oil assets.
On Cuba and Haiti, the Senators were assured that there would be no dramatic changes of policy.
The blockade of the Castro government would continue, Radio Marti would continue operation, and further steps to limit the inflow of dollars to the Havana regime can be expected.
Likewise business as usual in Haiti. Brazil would continue to be point-man for the imperial occupation, and forces were being finally built up to the United Nations authorized maximums. No one was so rude to suggest that since there have been literally dozens of US interventions in Haiti that nation should by now be the very model of good governance.
I heard no questions at all concerning affairs in Colombia, indicating how non-controversial here are the death-squad activities of the Urribe government.
Judging from the tenor of the questions from the Senators it would appear that the nominee can expect little opposition to her appointment to her new job. This despite her repeated lies and misrepresentations to the Congress and to the people here during the build-up to the aggression against Iraq, and the hostile take-over of the Iraqi National Oil Company.
It seems also that the primary area of imperial operations will continue to be the Mid-East.
From the Imperial Capital
Chris Herz
cdherz44@yahoo.com
