| BABY STEPS TOWARD ANOTHER CASTRO |
| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Tuesday, March 22 2005 |
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| He has antagonized the Catholic Church. He has jailed his opponents and censored the press. He passed agrarian reform laws that allow him to expropriate private property. He has purchased Russian weapons and turned up his anti-American rhetoric. And he has formed citizen brigades to defend his "revolution."
If you think I'm describing the steps taken by Fidel Castro following the Cuban Revolution more than four decades ago, think again. Even though Castro did all those things and more, the Latin American leader I am referring to is Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who, despite being democratically elected, seems to be closely following in the footsteps of Cuba's aging dictator.
None of this surprises Ernesto Diaz; the former Cuban political prisoner said he noticed the Chavez-Castro resemblance even before Chavez became president. "A person who is capable of attempting a coup against a democratic government and then regroups after coming out of jail to run for office is a military dictator in the making." In fact, he believes many Cubans saw it coming even before the majority of Venezuelans took notice.
He might be right. If at one time Venezuelans doubted that Chavez is a Castro clone, in the past few weeks he has taken steps to make sure his intentions are clear. Chavez, who has always described himself as a revolutionary, now says he is a socialist, and probably more accurately a "Fidelista." As if to bring the point home, he repeated the claims during his TV show "Aló Presidente," during which he promised to turn Venezuela into a socialist model for the 21st century.
Chavez said his new socialism would be different from the failed Soviet model. "There are many other models in the world," he said. But while he seeks to define his so-called 21st-century socialism, he seems to be following Castro's model of the previous century.
The Chavez government is getting ready to expropriate 7.4 million acres of private land and give it to peasants. He recently jailed opposition leader Carlos Ortega on charges of treason, and has accused former presidential candidate Enrique Mendoza of starting a rebellion. He has also showed signs that he wants to export his revolution to other South American countries.
For now, Telesur, the new
government-financed TV network, serves as his propaganda tool. But there's concern that part of his military arsenal, built up during the past few years -- including 100,000 assault weapons that he purchased from the Russians -- could end up in the hands of subversive groups in neighboring countries.
Diaz, a former Cuban political prisoner who was jailed for 22 years for infiltration, sees the similarities between Chavez and Castro very clearly. "Chavez wants to play the part of victim by constantly warning of an American invasion," he said. It's the same way Castro exploits the anti-American feeling that exists in many Latin American nations. And given the tilt the region is taking with the election of left-leaning leaders in Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, Chavez might have a receptive audience.
But according to several Latin America watchers, Chavez has a way to go before becoming the next Castro. First of all, the Cold War is over. There is no longer a world power like the Soviet Union willing to finance socialist revolutions in Latin America. Even though he has a few radical friends in places like Iran, Libya, China and North Korea, Chavez has not achieved the status of leader of the Third World revolutionary movement struggling against Yankee imperialism, a role Castro has played to the hilt for many years.
The United States, which has spent half a century trying to stop another Cuba in Latin America, has virtually abandoned the region. But if the United States does not start paying more attention to and forming better relations with its democratic neighbors to the south, we could very well see the continued development of another Fidel Castro. |
