Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Cuba-Venezuela Ties

For the last few days, the "increased cooperation" between Cuba and Venezuela has been the subject of innumerable articles. See here. Some, rightfully so, methinks, have seen it as a species of power grab by Chavez, a clumsy grasping for a bastardized Bolivarian ideal.

Well, it set me to thinking about the Monroe Doctrine. Written to keep European powers from establishing any more colonies in the new world, their existing colonies conveniently excepted, it nonetheless set forth important limits, namely that "we should consider any attempt on their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety." Further on, it states that it would be "impossible" to believe that "our southern brethren, if left to themselves, would adopt it of their own accord."

It seems time for Mini-me to get his own private, geographically updated version of said doctrine. Will the increasingly gun-shy American government take him on? That's a question. Given the spreading virus in Latin America, it undoubtedly should.

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