Stinking Yankee Narcissists

One of my favorite blogs Chase me Ladies had a great post Stinking Yankee Narcissists last week about how everyone is always involving the US as either the solution or the problem to problems in Latin America.

I have come to the conclusion that no one really gives a toss about any of the countries down here, except as a way to keep talking about their big obsession, which is the United States.

I couldn’t have said it any better myself. I think as a whole Latin American countries should be allowed to work things out themselves for better or for worse.

For example many people think the rise of big mouths like Chavez is because of rising Anti Americanism. In Venezuela for example Chavez managed to create a populist movement amongst the lower classes against the middle and upper classes. Much the same way as Hitler did in the 30’s in Germany. Whenever he mentions the US it is as the handy wild card scape goat. But it has very little to do with the US.

Since Chavez started his neo bolivarian imperialist exercises throughout Latin America he like Fidel before him is using the US as just that. A wild scary monster.

But what people don’t understand in the US and Europe is that when Chavez makes a deal with Panama to create an oil refinery it has nothing to do with the US. It is about being seen to do something about oil prices amongst the constituency in Panama and also as a way of placating the neighborhood crazy so he doesn’t stand outside your gates with a megaphone like he did recently in both Peru and Mexico.

This is the same when American movie stars go have dinner with Fidel (Who I guess we can safely say now is still alive). It is not that they are really being supportive of Fidel. They are trying to show off to their show bizz pals that they are cool and anti Bush.

Of course this whole thing is true in most of the worlds hot spots. Just look at the various Middle Eastern conflicts which are probably even more infected by Pro/Anti US narcissism than anywhere else in the world. Like in Latin America no one outside the region (or even affected countries) are interested in the actual facts only if it’s a pro or anti US issue.

A typical example of this is the actual concept of the Republic of Panama. There are many Latin American intellectuals who are still angry that the US helped Panama’s independence from Colombia. Of course the US did it for purely selfish reasons, but then again so did Panama. Panama was at the time sick of Colombian civil wars and of being remotely controlled by Bogota. This never comes in to play when the Latin American intellectual starts talking. He is not even interested. It is all about the US.

The exact same thing came into play after the 1989 invasion of Panama. Most Panamanian’s were thrilled to be free of Noriega. Yes there were casualties but none the less the Panamanians to this day express much gratitude that this happened. The 2 notable exceptions are the Noriega’s generals and 20 or so intellectuals at the University of Panama. Even the people of Chorillo the barrio which was famously bombed by the US supposedly are reportedly pretty pleased that Noriega is now sitting in jail in Florida.

However ask lefty intellectuals in Latin America, Europe and US this was a great example of US imperialism. Again like in the liberation of Panama the intentions of the US government at the time are not what is important here, it is the effect and wishes of the local people.