Today, an investigative report by the Grupo de Diarios América (GDA) was published in a number of newspapers, including several in Bolivia. The report addresses the influence of Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez across Latin America (from La Razón). The report is meant to draw together the various kinds of “cooperative assistance” the Venezuelan leader is engaged in, showing his vast influence. Of course, there’s nothing really shocking there. All states try to influence their neighbors through economic (and other) assistance programs. Chávez is currently swimming in petrodollars—and if he wants to make a play for regional hegemon, he certainly has the ability. But there is one troubling underside: Bolivia’s security policy.
As Bolivia’s media has previously reported, the report highlights that Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales, has frequently been seen using Venezuelan security personnel. In Bolivia. Traditionally, the leaders of sovereign states prefer to use their own security personnel, often even in foreign soil. It is rather odd that Bolivia’s president would regularly entrust his security detail to another country’s personnel—on his own soil.
This makes for an incredibly odd image. Does this reflect Evo’s relationship w/ Bolivia’s security forces? Does this reflect Chávez’s control over Evo’s person? Add this to the number of Venezuelan “technical advisors” (on things from telecommunications to military attachés to oil & gas nationalization) in Bolivia, and one can see where members of the opposition worry that Evo’s government has merely shifted from the role of US puppet to Venezuelan puppet (though, I suppose, one can argue which kind of puppetry is “better”).
Similarly, I’m not sure why—other than ideological affinity—Evo is moving to position himself so close to Chávez. Regional integration is, of course, a good thing. But why not push forward w/ countries w/ which Bolivia has more historically established ties? Like, say, Peru. Venezuela is a natural rival to Bolivia (both export gas & oil) & is too far away to serve as an export port (the two don’t even share a border). In contrast, Peru has a large Aymara & Quechua population, has ports close at hand, and is a traditional ally. Yet Evo has chosen to side w/ a Venezuelan president who virtually destroyed the Andean Community.
Personally, I’ve no objection to Chávez doling out cash to help other countries. One wonders, of course, why Venezuela’s poverty has only slightly declined since 1998 (when Chávez took over), despite huge petroleum windfalls. But Chávez can do w/ his money whatever he wants (especially since his new constitutional decree powers). And if the US, China, Japan, Germany, France, and other world powers can “buy” goodwill w/ economic “assistance” I see no reason why Venezuela can’t do the same. But I think Bolivia’s government should be skeptical of what strings come attached. We’ve all heard about how IMF & World Bank assistance comes w/ strings attached—let’s not imagine that Chávez is perfectly altruistic.
