Takes Two to Tango: Why Washington Can't Win in South America by Nikolas Kozloff

[magbana]

Takes Two to Tango: Why Washington Can't Win in South America
April 28th 2008, by Nikolas Kozloff
Perhaps one of the more unlikely but compelling stories to come out of South America in recent years has to do with the budding strategic relationship between Venezuela and Argentina. Together, the two countries constitute a formidable bloc that could make all the difference in defining South America's future geopolitical trajectory.

But now, Chávez is testing the revolutionary fervor of his Argentine counterpart, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

The Venezuelan President has set his sights on Sidor, an Argentine-owned steel plant. The firm is one of Latin America's most important steel factories and was Venezuelan state property until 1997 when it was privatized and sold to a consortium of corporations. The largest majority stakeholder is currently Argentine company Techint.

As part of his assault on the neo-liberal economic policies of the past, Chávez has long sought to "nationalize everything that was privatized" by previous Venezuelan administrations. Having already taken over the cement industry, several milk producing plants, dozens of large farms, as well as the electricity, telecommunications and petroleum industries, Chávez is now moving on to the strategically important steel sector.

On April 9th, Venezuela put its incipient alliance with Argentina to the test by announcing the government's decision to nationalize Sidor. It was the first time that Venezuela had acted to nationalize a company from an allied nation. Rubbing salt in the wound, Venezuela's Vice President Ramón Carrizalez denounced Sidor's management for its "colonizer attitude" and "barbarous exploitation" of workers. "This is a government that protects workers and will never take the side of a transnational company", Carrizalez added.

FULL ARTICLE:
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/3390

http://snipurl.com/267l3

[Judi Lynn]

1. Interesting! Just scanned the article quickly, saw this:

What’s more, energy strapped Argentina badly needs fuel and Chávez has generously agreed to barter oil for meat and ships. While in Buenos Aires researching my new book, Revolution! South America and the Rise of the New Left (Palgrave-Macmillan), I interviewed Cristian Folgar, the Undersecretary of Fuel. Speaking with him at his office off the Plaza de Mayo, Folgar explained that energy links between Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA and the Argentine government were quite solid. Indeed, the Venezuelan firm now has an office in Buenos Aires.

“Today,” he remarked, “the president of PDVSA Argentina was here asking for information about Argentine gas. This month, I spent 10 days in Caracas. I have made 15 trips to Caracas in total.”

Chávez’s energy benevolence has paved the way for closer economic integration: currently Venezuela and Argentina barter and trade everything from ships to oil to cattle to agricultural products. According to Folgar, energy integration has been “fundamental” in enhancing Argentine-Venezuelan ties. “Venezuelan and Argentine businessmen view each other as potential partners in many areas,” he remarked, “which was not the case before.”
(snip)

Looking forward to reading this more carefully. I've not been current on information about this Sidor business which has come up in the last week in our news.

Thanks.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Great article! Hope Nikolas Kozloff 's final remarks is correct. Truly.

There was the Nixon-Kissinger backed crushing of all dissent in the 1960's in multiple countries, even Uruguay, in which NO stone was left unturned, whether torture, or terror beyond anything a human being would consider, throwing people out of airplanes, helicopters, there were even some people burned in an oven in Chile, so many, MANY people slaughtered, and this continued through Reagan, _{Bush #41,} and it effectively killed off so much opposition, and sent the rest of the opposition into numbed withdrawal.

They have NOT forgotten, and we can bet they are not interested in letting those days return. They will not allow themselves to be divided and conquered as previous right-wing U.S. scum did it previously. The first time around, they were not in communication with each other. They were "easy pickin's" for our foaming-at-the-mouth sociopathic Republican Presidents. That won't ever happen again, if there's any justice in the universe.