Underestimating Chavez is a perilous pursuit as far as the Bush administration is concerned, writes Gamal Nkrumah The tour of Venezuelan Pesident Hugo Chavez of certain Central and South American nations and the Caribbean caused a stir in Washington and a number of Western Hemisphere nations' capitals. The firebrand leftist Venezuelan leader declared that "Capitalism was the road to hell." Going that extra mile for the socialist cause, he espouses sending tremors and shockwaves across the United States and its allies. Chavez is the chief advocate of the Bolivarian Revolution, an ideology that has the express blessing of intellectuals of the calibre of Noam Chomsky. And, the man who spreads the Bolivarian message of continental integration and social justice through the Western Hemisphere now seems poised for the focus of socialist ideals to shift to neighbouring countries. Bolivarianism is a unique combination of libertarian socialism with the onus on social justice. What is of critical importance is that the working and unpropertied classes support the Bolivarian cause, largely since the idea is that the underprivileged are conferred the right to own the means of production. In short, he has succeeded in creating a culture where the poor and indigenous people of the continent come first -- something that has not traditionally prevailed in the region under Pax-Americana. At a rally of some 40,000 strong in the Argentinean capital Buenos Aires organised by the Argentine Workers Union, Chavez stressed the vital importance that the Bolivarian Revolution be led by "leaders with humanitarian projects and strategies". Indeed, according to the Venezuelan Ambassador to Egypt Victor Carazo, Chavez's main goal during the visit will be to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Latin American countries in a determined effort to deepen strategic partnerships between the states of the vast region of 350 million people. "On 10 March, a Venezuelan plane with 43 patients with impaired vision, was flown from Argentina to Venezuela, to have operations to recuperate their sight. This is within context of the Miracle Mission, one of the 19 social programmes being carried out by Chavez in Venezuela to fight hunger and poverty. This programme has benefited thousands of Latin American patients," Ambassador Carazo told Al-Ahram Weekly. Carazo added that Venezuela also delivered humanitarian assistance to the poor and homeless who suffered from the recent flooding of huge swathes of Bolivia and the Caribbean island of Trinidad. Indeed, a critically important point, Carazo stressed, is that Chavez and his Bolivarian Revolution embrace not just so- called Latin America, but, as well, the tiny island nations of the Caribbean. It is in this context that Chavez included countries like Jamaica and Haiti in his tour. The landslide victory of Chavez in 2004 gave him the legitimacy to institutionalise his market socialist model. Ever since, he and his close Bolivarian circles have embarked on a radical nationalisation programme. Instead of the traditional stranglehold of foreign capital on Latin American economies, he is determined to get the state or the workers collectively to own the means of production in the classic socialist tradition. This has also greatly enhanced his international standing and credibility. "Chavez is committed to give power to the poor, to give them democracy," Carazo told the Weekly. The poor and underprivileged are entitled to participate fully in the decision-making process of the country. "The government is carrying out an offensive in the social domain to eradicate illiteracy, raise living standards, and improve healthcare and housing. These are components of Chavez's vision of Socialism for the 21st Century," Carazo explained. Chavez's Latin American tour is most certainly no comfort for the Bush administration. Unlike Bush, Chavez's tour started promisingly enough. Argentina, Bolivia and Venezuela are determined to see the end of the evil influence of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on South America. Moreover, Chavez intends to substitute the much-discredited Free Trade Area of the Americas with the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas. Bush obviously does not bother to listen to his southern neighbours. Is he deaf? Indeed, Bush must surely understand that times are fast changing in South America. The continent is no longer merely an appendage to the US -- it is no more its backyard. Venezuela, for example, is not run by diktat from Caracas. Venezuela is a vibrant democracy. And Venezuelan officials responsible for implementing Chavez's policies are not the same corrupt individuals who prospered under the military dictatorships of South and Central America of yesteryear and who were backed to the teeth by Washington. These are accountable, professional men and women. There is no stopping to the mothballing of leftist revolution in South and Central America. In Guatemala, one of the few remaining staunch US allies in Central America, the indigenous Maya people staged a huge protest demonstration during Bush's visit to Iximche, the sacred Maya archeological site to do away with the "bad energy" Bush left behind. "We are here to change our history. We are taking over," bellowed Bolivia's charismatic leader, Evo Morales. He was talking about 500 years of injustice against the indigenous people of the Americas who had suffered in the wake of the devastating wanton destruction of the Spanish Conquistadors. Chavez called Morales "an emissary from God". This new breed of Latin American leaders does not regard the Bush administration's outrageous foreign policy follies with besotted perplexity. They understand precisely the inner workings and dynamics of the Bush administrations' failures abroad. Chavez aptly described Bush as a "political corpse". In Ecuador, the dashing left-wing US-educated economist Rafael Correa, won the presidency even though his chief opponent was the country's wealthiest man, the tycoon Alvaro Noboa. Then there are the centre-leftists like Chile's Michelle Bachelet and Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. They are all determined to unleash the groundswell of demands for social justice and the redistribution of power and wealth south of the Rio Grande. These new firebrand leftist leaders of Latin America are in a strong and perfectly legitimate a position to enforce laws as well as pass them. They have won the hearts and the minds of their people. They have consciously sought a place in history and have most certainly secured one. They have come a long way. Chavez has proved remarkably adept at mobilising continent-wide support for his Bolivarian Revolution. He is fast emerging as the Gamal Abdel-Nasser of Latin America, except that there are many more Latin American leaders of the calibre of Chavez -- they share his ideological orientation and political outlook. Some are just as determined, headstrong and charismatic as Chavez himself. Chavez blustered away at the imperialist anti-Christ. And by leaping to false conclusions and walking away from the realities on the ground in Latin America, Bush is digging his own grave in the continent. In fact, the appellation of Latin America itself has come under fire. The indigenous peoples of the continent deeply resent this designation and regard it as a reminder that the Conquistadors ugly legacy lives on. Bolivarianism is not simply the political whim of Chavez, it is the will of a continent long oppressed by the US. The recent elections in Latin America were a satisfying routine of democratic exercise bringing further confirmation that the continent is well on its way to the status of a more or less a mature democracy. It is not easy to mock Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. "I am here because I think it is necessary to demonstrate against not only the US, but also against policies that put peoples' lives at risk in the countries they conquer and in the whole world. We have to demonstrate," the Venezuelan leader said in his hallmark red sweatshirt. Bush is already outrun by the tide of public opinion south of the Rio Grande. "Gringo go home," chanted Chavez's flag-waving supporters in unison. The problem for Bush is that this comes at a difficult time for him, given his debacles in Iraq and Afghanistan. With rising public expectations among the indigenous and long-suffering peoples of the Americas, more leaders like Chavez, Morales and Ecuador's Rafael Correa will emerge victorious at the polls. This is Chavez's moment.
