With neoconservatives. Paleocons like Buchanan tend to be military isolationists.
I’m just curious. What would be the US’ reaction to a foriegn country spending money to influence elections in the US?
I think we offer them intercontinental missile technology.
Too lazy to look it up, but I thought during the recent presidential election, several foriegn groups (not governments, true) DID spend money to attempt to influence the elections in the US. There are also foreign PAC type groups IIRC that spend money on various politicians to influence things…and at a guess, SOME of them are probably funded by some government or other.
Again, IIRC, the reation was mostly Ho Hum…at least from the government itself. Groups like Fox News or other such groups weren’t as calm about it.
Could be misremembering though.
-XT
Well, yes. Not “socialism” as Castro would define it, perhaps, but the recent electoral trends in LA strongly favor leftist parties, with the notable exception of Colombia. Is it not so?
No, I don’t think its some new trend…just the same old shit on a different day. YMMV BG.
-XT
Latin America is definitley turning more towards the left. Lula just won an impressive victory. Chavez, Morales, Kirchner, Vasquez and Batchelet. We just missed here in a very controversial election.
There is an uproar in Nicaragua over the US meddling in the elections. Even Oliver North has gone to Managua to support the rightwing candidate. I would think that hijo de puta would be considered persona non grata in Nicaragua. The US frequently denies politicians and other foreigners with political agendas at odds with US interests from entering the US. Why Nicaragua allows someone who encouraged and participated in terrorism against their country entry is very interesting.
Twenty Years After Iran-Contra, Washington’s Role In Nicaragua Still a Scandal
Much more at source…
Well, the election’s tomorrow. And apparently a lot of Nicaraguans are resentful over U.S. interference.
Left wing political movements are nothing new in LA. But for them to win in free elections, in many countries at once – that’s a new thing. What in the U.S. we would call a “trend” or even a “realignment.”
What now?
Next he will have a visit from the Chinese.
Followed by a jamboree in Peking (I can’t bring myself to use modern spellings)
He will be promised covert support, no internal political caveats, trade via defined conduits and some major capital projects that will ensure popular approbation.
In effect, the Chinese have re-discovered British imperialism after about 1860
- We give you personally a military guarantee (and plenty of cash)
- We give you collectively a source of income
- We give you major projects that make you look good
- and ensure that they are not sabotaged by domestic theft/incompetence
I think the phrase is ‘Holistic Regime Support’
- my bet is that 48 African heads of state are very happy
It would be next stop South America, if they had not already done the first round last year, dropping $3 Billion where ever they landed.
Why do the Chinese need to buy friends in South America?
Montealegre has conceded to Ortega, so I guess that’s that.
Of course, Nicaragua remains a member of DR-CAFTA . . . putting it firmly within the U.S. sphere of economic influence . . . I wonder how Ortega’s going to deal with that . . .
Raw materials.
The Chinese are snapping up supplies of raw materials all over the place.
Last year (or maybe earlier this year) one of their top dogs went on a tour of South America and was dropping $2 billion tranches all over the place.
Stuff like oil and opening up/expanding ore mines.
They even did a $2b deal with Cuba. A nickel mine.
This is a 2004 link - but it gives the jist of what is going on :-
They can sure afford it, with a $1 Trillion war chest.
My understanding is that the deals are primarily commercial, but there is a side deal - getting support in the UN - mainly to intimidate Taiwan - but probably also because they are fed up with the US squawking about ‘uman rites’.
Actually their policy looks very sensible to me, eventually they will want to trade with people who have something material to supply in return - large consumer markets who can pay for manufactures with raw materials.