Yes, our own little Hitler is on his way home from one of his rare trips out of the country. I predict there won’t be many more of these ventures abroad for the most despised ruler in the world.
The summit, which brought together leaders from 34 different countries in the Argentine city of Mar Del Plata, was about the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Bush’s attempted diplomatic push for a major agreement stalled, however, amid fierce opposition from key countries. Meanwhile, scenes of violence and rioting in Argentina and Uruguay played out in the background.
A group of left-leaning countries, headed by Brazil, Venezuela and others, opposed the idea, saying it would open their countries to exploitation by large American firms and do little to alleviate poverty. Bush left the summit before it ended as discussions about whether to adopt a clause scheduling FTAA talks for next year continued past a deadline set for a summit declaration.
The Little Fuhrer, who is already beset by a host of domestic political troubles, had his fingers crossed that a major foreign policy coup would take some of the pressure off his beleaguered White House. He put breaking down free trade barriers in the region at the top of his agenda at the Summit of the Americas.
That result is a long way from the clear progress the White House wanted. Officials had wanted a foreign policy win to offset domestic criticism that the general hostility abroad to the war in Iraq had damaged America’s ability to promote its interests diplomatically.
No go. It’s clear the summit has exposed deep rifts among the region’s countries on the issue of free trade. It has also exposed a critical attitude of many leaders have towards Bush, especially Venezuela’s firebrand president Hugo Chavez.
Chavez regularly denounces Bush as ‘Mr Danger’ in speeches. On Friday night he told a crowd of more than 20,000 protesters that the policy was a branch of American imperialism. ‘Only united can we defeat imperialism and bring our people a better life,’ he said, adding: ‘Here, in Mar del Plata, FTAA will be buried!’
Meanwhile, it has been less than calm on the streets outside. Demonstrators, some of them wearing masks, threw Molotov cocktails, set bonfires in the streets, and burned US flags. Police held them back from a security cordon set up around the luxury hotel where the summit was being held.
The Three Banditos, by dood abides <— Click for more Dood photos from the Summit
The scenes of violence and protest prompted Bush to ruefully acknowledge that he was unpopular in much of the world outside his own borders. It is a rare trip abroad for the President and has done little to help his administration recover from a web of political mis-steps and scandals that have caused Bush’s popularity ratings to sink like the proverbial stone.
(From The Observer, Sunday November 6, 2005)
Crossposted at My Left Wing
