Ambassador Milos Alcalay
Former Venezuelan Ambassador to the United Nations, Milos Alcalay writes: This is not the first time that my dear friend Roy Carson and I have engaged in divergent interpretations on issues of intentional reality ... but I must confess that despite differences, I have a deep respect for the authenticity of his position, for his commitment and especially for his willingness to dialogue.
Unfortunately in Venezuela today, it is not easy to speak out, because, for a formal sector in our society, anyone who does not unconditionally accept the Maximum Leader's criteria is exposed to denigration as "Lackey of Imperialism," "putschists", "Agent of the CIA" and other personal attacks that show the superficiality of analysis and unwillingness to accept a debate on divergent ideas. That certainly is NOT the case with Roy who knows how to discuss and defend his ideals.
Referring to his criticism of my article "Is Venezuela a satellite of Russia?" I disagree with his arguments, but I respect his positions ... so I will present some thoughts in this regard:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Comparisons-with-the-debac-by-Roy-S-Carson-080826-999.html
Roy blames the tragedy of Georgia on the panorama of a Washington-Moscow conflict. I believe that we can not analyze the Caucasus crisis from the traditional perspective of a bi-polar confrontation. As I mentioned in my article, it is a multipolar concern which has prompted the policies of the European Union, NATO, etc., policies which incorporate governments with the most differing political horizons. Moreover, I have not read of any position that is so much in solidarity with Russia in Latin America.
When I suggest that Venezuela repeats the usual rhetoric which assumes positions that are more pro-Russian that the Russians ... or as the old saying "more Papist than the Pope" or "More Royal than the King" I do so inasmuch as even the Russians themselves have been more careful about denouncing the United States of America as the "cause of conflict."
Why should Venezuelan diplomacy assume that role?
It is from that basis that we (Venezuela) have taken a unilateral decision, a position that is very similar to the "satellite" governments in the time of the USSR. But, of course, that does not necessarily make any comparison between Putin's Russia and Stalin's USSR, although it does not deny that Putin has strong totalitarian temptations.
Roy emphasizes my analysis of the collapse of the USSR, and listed some of the failures as a means of identifying this with the errors of "Socialism of the 21st Century." In this, Roy is quite right ... but ithat failure stems from the fact that the "Bolivarian Revolution" repeats models of state intervention, centralization, authoritarian control and other attitudes that brought about the collapse of 20th Century Communism. These attitudes surface again in the Bolivarian Revolution experience as evidenced by the Constitutional Reform referendum which was rejected last December 2. They can be found again in the reaction to the 26 laws adopted at the last moment (in July) which in many cases exhumed the proposals already rejected by the new opposition majority.
Roy asserts that my conclusions came from watching Fox News programs. Unfortunately, I do have Fox on my TV ... but I would, if I could, watch TV from Russian or Georgia ... or European television or TV Cubana. What I can assure you is that I would not confine myself to viewing TeleSur transmissions, since they are, of course, biased.
The general anti-American rhetoric of Chavez is seen by many sectors of the left as a way to justify trampling on everything. One cannot justify an excessive military response against Georgia, by quoting what "US imperialism has done." The day that the United States invades Mexico, or Canada, or Puerto Rico we will have to denounce it ... but today it is not simply sufficient to justify a revival of Russian imperialism. That is the complaint!
The applause of "revolutionaries" around the world for the mere fact of Chavez' daily criticism of 'North American imperialism' resembles the positions of the governments of the (Mexican) PRI, which criticized the United States, but did good business with it. That's what happens with Creole revolutionaries ... they attack the United States each day but the balance of payments is growing at geometric speed. Today it exceeds US$50,000,000 annually.
Of course this does not justify "carte blanche" for the Government of Georgia to pursue Russian majorities in South Ossetia ... but there are other ways in international law to condemn these violations ... not through military invasion.
That is a very poor precedent from wherever it comes!
Milos Alcalay
milosalcalay@yahoo.com
