Chavez calls for union with Castro's Cuba

[RedStarOverChina]

Originally posted by People's Daily
Chavez calls for union with Castro's Cuba
With Fidel Castro sidelined by illness, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez stormed through Cuba this week and stole the limelight from his ailing mentor.

Eight hours of Chavez speeches - including his weekly "Alo Presidente" show were broadcast live during his three-day visit to Cuba, a burst of rhetoric not seen since Castro dropped out of public view after intestinal surgery last year.

Chavez, bolstered by soaring oil prices, has emerged as Castro's political successor and the new leader of Latin America's growing left-wing bloc, which also includes Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua.

Cuban cabinet ministers wore red T-shirts traditionally used by Chavez supporters in Venezuela as they listened to him propose that Cuba join Venezuela in a confederation.

"Deep down, we are one single government, one single country," the swaggering Venezuelan populist said on Sunday at the tomb of revolutionary icon Ernesto "Che" Guevara in Santa Clara in central Cuba.

His remarks and increasing confidence raised questions about his political influence in Cuba now that Castro is largely out of the picture.

Chavez did most of the talking when the 81-year-old Castro, who has not appeared in public in almost 15 months, called in by telephone on Sunday to Chavez's radio and television program broadcast live to Cuba and Venezuela.

Chavez's call for political union surprised Cubans who welcome his economic aid but take pride in the independence of their country, which has faced off with the United States since Castro's 1959 revolution.

By People's Daily Online

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/6285656.html

:blink:
That's a shocker.

[Herman]

This is quite... surprising. Not an unwelcome surprise, mind you.

Of course, Cuba having been independant for so long makes this idea really... impractical and unrealistic, at least in the short term.

[Colonello Buendia]

Yeah surprising, but unified they would be a hell of alot more powerful and they would provied a united front. always useful against a country as powerful as the US.

[Springmeester]

Originally posted by [email protected] 19, 2007 12:36 pm
Yeah surprising, but unified they would be a hell of alot more powerful and they would provied a united front. always useful against a country as powerful as the US.
This is not good. Chavez' power in Venezuela is still temporary and unsure. I don't like it, Venezuela is not ready for this kind of leadership and the Cuban party should know better.

[lvleph]

I am for a greater cooperation between the two, but I think combing the two into one nation is not the best way to go. Then again, I am neither Venezuelan nor Cuban. An economic union similar to the idea of the EU, but socialist, might be a better solution. Then they could include other states in South America. Obviously, the state shouldn't matter, but I would hate to see sovereignty lost to a foreign people that may not listen or care about the plight of those absorbed by the more prolific state.

[Die Neue Zeit]

All talk, and mainly because most people underestimate Cuban nationalism and its pervasive influence in the country. <_<

If it&#39;s an EU-style union of sorts with other Latin American countries, on the other hand, then we&#39;re seeing something.

[spartan]

The Latin American Bolivarian/Socialist bloc?

[Robespierre2.0]

Chavez is talking about forming a confederation, rather than actually joining the two states together. This seems like very good news to me- It&#39;ll have American conservatives frothing at the mouth over &#39;another East bloc forming right on America&#39;s doorstep&#39;.

[Honggweilo]

I&#39;m glad that Chavez is politically radicalizing, but this confederation sounds alot like Nasser&#39;s Egypt and Syria confederation; the United Arab Republic ... which failed missarbly. Besides the CCP is fimly in power while the political system in Venezuela still needs more stablizing. Although im a vivid proponent of a confederal union with mutual independence, like a socialist version of the EU or the Arabic League. But i think that expanding the ALBA is a good start.

[lvleph]

I would think that this confederation would possibly strengthen Venezuelan Socialism. I could be wrong, but it seems like good timing.

[Demogorgon]

It&#39;s a nice idea, and of course something Chavez has been chasing for a long time. He believes in a unified Latin America after all. But I do not see it happening in the forseeable future. I don&#39;t hink the idea would be very popular in Venezuala where Chavez&#39;s close ties with Castro tend to be his political weakspot or in Cuba because it would be perceived as leading to Venezualan dominance.

[Springmeester]

Originally posted by [email protected] 19, 2007 02:13 pm
I&#39;m glad that Chavez is politically radicalizing, but this confederation sounds alot like Nasser&#39;s Egypt and Syria confederation; the United Arab Republic ... which failed missarbly. Besides the CCP is fimly in power while the political system in Venezuela still needs more stablizing. Although im a vivid proponent of a confederal union with mutual independence, like a socialist version of the EU or the Arabic League. But i think that expanding the ALBA is a good start.
I agree. But I don&#39;t agree with Chavez&#39; international leadership in this stage of the Venezuelan class-struggle. They are not ready. Chavez should focus more on the internal development of the revolution in Venezuela rather then some kind of international declaration which seems like a over-enthusiastic formality.

[RedStarOverChina]

I don&#39;t know what Chavez is trying to pull.

A political and economic union in South America (like EU) would definitely help defend Cuba against US attempts to takeover the country, I&#39;ve been desperately waiting to see something like that happen.

But does Chavez have the influence needed to bundle together South American nations? Not just Cuba and Vuenezuela. They&#39;ll need Brazil, and hopefully include Bolivia and Ecuador and maybe a few others.

[lvleph]

Originally posted by [email protected] 19, 2007 02:38 pm
I don&#39;t know what Chavez is trying to pull.

A political and economic union in South America (like EU) would definitely help defend Cuba against US attempts to takeover the country, I&#39;ve been desperately waiting to see something like that happen.

But does Chavez have the influence needed to bundle together South American nations? Not just Cuba and Vuenezuela. They&#39;ll need Brazil, and hopefully include Bolivia and Ecuador and maybe a few others.
And you know Brazil is influenced by the USA too much to actually join in.

[Springmeester]

Originally posted by lvleph+October 19, 2007 03:00 pm--> (lvleph @ October 19, 2007 03:00 pm)
[email protected] 19, 2007 02:38 pm
I don&#39;t know what Chavez is trying to pull.

A political and economic union in South America (like EU) would definitely help defend Cuba against US attempts to takeover the country, I&#39;ve been desperately waiting to see something like that happen.

But does Chavez have the influence needed to bundle together South American nations? Not just Cuba and Vuenezuela. They&#39;ll need Brazil, and hopefully include Bolivia and Ecuador and maybe a few others.
And you know Brazil is influenced by the USA too much to actually join in. [/b]
Yeah but the communist party is a coalition-partner of Lulla... they won&#39;t except everything. If Lulla really pushes it the communist will probably pull back and their will be new elections.

[RedStarOverChina]

It&#39;s in Brazil&#39;s interest to join a Southern Bloc but maybe, tactically speaking it should be veiled, in a sense. Meaning it shoudn&#39;t be plainly, visibly anti-US. That&#39;s why I have doubts about having Chavez as the spearhead of this movement.

Start with economic integration and hopefully things will follow through, like in Europe.

[spartan]

Well Brazil like China and India is an emerging super power so a break with the USA will have to happen sooner rather than later.

Perhaps this is the perfect opportunity for Brazil to distance themselves from the disgraced USA?

[Ander]

I have a few things to say:

Chase, I know this might be a bit high-school, but you kinda took the same avatar I&#39;ve had for several months. I wouldn&#39;t complain, but it looks like we&#39;re twins and people might mistake us for one another. I&#39;m sure as hell not changing it but if you could tell me how you got yours to be less blurry I&#39;d appreciate it.

As for this union, it&#39;s pretty radical and probably not a wise idea at this point. However, it is a nice precursor to the eventual transcending of borders in Latin America. Sounds kinda like something Che envisioned.

If Brasil comes to a fork where it has to choose between the "socialists&#39; represented by Venezuela and Cuba and the capitalist US camp, I have no doubt it will swing to the latter. Although the majority of its population live below the poverty line and should be revolting in the streets, its corrupt government is living comfortably and has no real reason to change.

[Die Neue Zeit]

^^^ Well, I think some posters here are overestimating US influence in the region (which is declining - see Colombia in this anti-Cuban Miami newspaper (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/columnists/sfl-gmcol18nboct18,0,3048397.column)). Brazil wants continental integration so that it can be the lead country, in spite of linguistic and other differences (in more blunt words, so that Brazilian imperialism can truly emerge).

[chebol]

I&#39;ll post more on this later, but Ecuador&#39;s Rafael Correa has been advocating a Latin American Union for quite some time, and there has already been the declaration of the Unasur (United Nations of Latin America) which has its capital in Quito.

A quickly, Springmeester, a revolution cannot develop upon mechanical lines of "internal" vs "external" - the development of the latin american revolution peshes the Venezuelan one forward, and vice-versa. Chavez is doing precisely the right thing (and it&#39;s not a new call anyway - in Venezuela in 2005 there was a chant going around "Cuba-Venezuela, un nacional bandera&#33;" - "Cuba-Venezuela, one national flag", with half-venezuelan, half-cuban flags being waved).