US President Bush's Latin American tour sheds light on the prickly relationship between Washington and what was once considered its own backyard, writes David Dumke* It was not the only reason for visiting Latin America, but United States President George W Bush's benign neglect of the Americas certainly factored into the equation. With the Bush Administration focused primarily on the Middle East in recent years, Latin America is in the midst of an ideological battle which pits the US -- stressing the importance of democracy, human rights, and free-market economies -- against a leftist-populist movement led by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The stated purpose of Bush's six-day visit to Latin America, which closes with a visit to Mexico, was benign. "We care," Bush said repeatedly through his five-nation tour. During his trip Bush announced plans for new regional health-care and poverty-relief programmes, part of a $1.47 billion US budget request -- excluding Colombia -- for the region next year. In Central America, the President committed himself to altering immigration policy, which will grant millions of illegal immigrants currently residing in the US legal status -- a development ironically made possible by the Democratic victory in last November's congressional elections. Bush's previous attempts on immigration were thwarted by congressional Republicans. In response, Bush employed a draconian get-tough strategy which included building a wall along the US-Mexican border and assigning military personnel to guard it -- much to the chagrin of Mexico. US-allied Mexican President Felipe Calderón narrowly won election over a leftist candidate last fall in an election heavily influenced by the US-Mexican relations. Disillusioned with US policy, a poll published in January indicated that two-thirds of prominent Mexicans view relations with the US as "poor". Bush also brokered an ethanol production deal with Brazil. Some analysts view the deal as part of a larger programme to launch an OPEC-style cartel of alternative energy producers. Currently, Brazil and the US produce 70 per cent of the world's ethanol supply. The deal is constant with the Bush Administration's efforts to reduce US reliance on petroleum -- a policy viewed with suspicion among oil-producers. During a visit to Columbia, Bush stressed continued commitment to the war on drugs and support for a US-Columbia free trade agreement. Columbia's President Alvaro Uribe has been aggressively battling narco-traffickers largely thanks to the $4 billion in annual assistance provided by Washington. Yet despite this costly effort, Columbia is still the world's largest producer of cocaine. Moreover, the country is still unstable, as evidenced by the 7,000 policemen assigned to guard Bush. There are domestic reasons for President Bush's trip as well. With approval ratings hovering at 30 per cent -- a record low rivaling only Watergate-tainted Richard Nixon -- Bush can only benefit by playing the role of statesman. Bush left Washington in wake of the conviction of Vice Presidential confidant Lewis Libby -- a development which could lead to more prosecutions over the alleged improper use of intelligence prior to the Iraqi invasion. Iraq has also placed a black cloud over the President. Despite congressional opposition to the surge plan -- which calls for an additional 21,500 troops in Iraq -- Bush urged Congress to provide funding for the war "without strings attached" and announced that 4,700 more troops would be sent to Iraq -- escalating US commitment beyond the surge. As Bush conducted his tour, Hugo Chavez embarked on a regional trip of his own. At a rally in Argentina, where banners reading "Bush Get Out" were on prominent display, Chavez publicly rebuked Bush. Chavez essentially called Bush a weakling and a coward, and condemned Bush's new regional assistance package as paltry. Trumping the US, Chavez provided Argentina a $3 billion bond to bolster its struggling economy. Hugo Chavez has replaced Fidel Castro as the symbol of regional anti-Americanism. Chavez, who won power through the ballot box, has reason to be hostile to the Bush Administration. Early in Bush's first term, American diplomats were implicated in a plot which briefly deposed Chavez. Returning to power after riots and strikes crippled the country and threatened US oil supplies, he became not only an irritant, but a principle nemesis. Thanks to soaring oil prices, Chavez has used his nation's wealth to conduct a vigorous foreign policy. He has helped leftists in neighbouring countries capture power while simultaneously strengthening Venezuela's global relations -- including with arch- American enemy Iran. With a knack for public relations and the knowledge that Venezuela is dependant upon US oil purchases, Chavez has brokered a number of deals with local US governments to provide discounted home heating oil. All the while, Chavez has employed brazen rhetoric that would make even legendary boxer Mohamed Ali -- self-declared King of the World -- blush. In Argentina, he directly mocked Bush. In the infant days of the Bush Administration, the focus was on China. It seemed that President Bush intended to provoke a Cold War with Beijing -- with the US playing a more familiar international role than it has since the demise of the Soviet Union. After 11 September, all attention was turned to the Middle East. But the price of doing so has been costly to American interests in its own backyard. Many see Latin American democracy as threatened, and fear the loss of US economic and political hegemony. Perhaps there is a silver lining for the White House -- a recent Chilean poll found that Chavez was just as unpopular in Latin America as Bush, with 39 per cent having a bad opinion of both. * The writer is a political analyst and principal of the MidAmr Group.
