The Beginning of a New Friendship?

Bush’s desire to soften his harsh, militaristic image prompted him to undertake his longest trip to Latin America, demonstrating that America has not forsaken the poor nor forgotten about social justice. Yet his talk of a pan-American trade alliance that would improve health, education and foster economic development was not received as enthusiastically as he hoped. Far from it! His tour sparked violence and protests throughout the entire continent. Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez only aggravated the situation with his “copy-cat” tour, denouncing the United States as the “most murderous empire in all of history” and mocking Bush and his capitalist schemes.
Latin America is notorious for housing some of the most unequal countries in the world, notably Brazil and Colombia. While its business and infrastructure are more or less established, the wealth and benefits end up in the hands of only a few. Its massive poverty stricken populations voice their discontent by supporting leftist, socialist governments that are unsympathetic towards their capitalist neighbor to the North. Moreover, the United States’ history of disastrous privatization plots, tariff barriers, and recent immigration scandals make Bush’s sudden interest in social justice seem like just another ploy by the “big guys.” Besides, our President’s speeches of economic development might warm a listener’s heart, but we all know he had mainly ethanol on his mind. It is something that our country is dependent on, and Brazil has a lot of. Maybe South Americans were right in not accepting Bush’s words of friendship.