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March 15, 2005
Diplomatic color
Sometimes, out of the staid, cautious morass that is diplomatic rhetoric, a golden nugget of honesty, humor, and outright ridiculousness surfaces. The FT noted over the weekend that the United States is developing a strategy to "contain" Hugo Chavez's Venezuela. This is potentially a big deal. Not only has Chavez developed a record of treading on U.S. toes (as noted previously here and here, as well as in today's Washington Post), but the very word "contain" conjures up memories of George Kennan, NSC-68, and other unpleasant things.
The details of such a Venezuelan "containment" policy, then, would be most interesting. Of course the policy is at an "early stage" of development and details are scarce. Thankfully, however, we get some spicy rhetoric to tide us over. Roger Pardo-Maurer, deputy assistant secretary for western hemisphere affairs at the Pentagon, justified the U.S. policy shift by categorizing Chavez's regional behavior as a "hyena strategy" -- widely considered to be one of the more insidious branches of the scavenger school of international relations. There's no off-switch to Pardo-Maurer, however. In another, otherwise informative and well-written piece in the FT on Chavez's recent arms purchases, Pardo-Maurer cites the "orgy of corruption" behind Venezuela's defense procurement strategy. This stands in clear contrast, I am sure, to the more pedestrian, monogamous variety of corruption.
Such vivid rhetoric from the Americans is only fair, really. Just a few months ago, Chavez apparently rebuffed Condoleeza Rice's romantic interest in him, claiming that he "[could not] make that sacrifice for [his] nation." I'm sure Condi's glad to have closure on that front.
Posted by Daniel Widome at 04:37 PM to Americas
