Braggadocio

In Latin American, Chávez has gained enormous fame and support for standing up to the Bush administration, by supporting Iran’s right to a nuclear program and by befriending the notorious Fidel Castro. This alone is enough to get you blacklisted by the Bush administration, and now Chávez wants his own nuclear program.

Chávez has announced plans to develop a nuclear energy program and has been making progress to sign deals with neighboring Argentina and Brazil towards acquiring nuclear reactors, stating, “It cannot be that the countries that have developed nuclear energy prohibit those of the third world from developing it… We are not the ones developing atomic bombs, it's others who do that."

Touché, Chávez, as Venezuela has not dropped any nuclear bombs… but will they? Chávez has every right towards developing peaceful nuclear energy, yet the Bush administration has side swiped Venezuelan agreements with Brazil. The US is one of the largest investors in the Brazilian economy, and connections with the Bush administration have been too lucrative for Brazil to carelessly push aside. With a little pressure from Bush, the process has slowed significantly.

Curiously enough, Congress has had relatively little influence over relations with Chávez. With his blatant anti-American/anti-imperialist stance towards the Bush administration, there has been no discussion permitted. Washington has more leverage with Brazil and Argentina, perhaps because of more comfortable diplomatic relations that the Bush administration has passed on. The power of the executive has become a major factor in American foreign policy, and as seen in this scenario, the Bush administration sets the standards and gives Congress the leftovers.

José Goldemberg, the Minister of Science and Technology in Brazil, is doubtful of Chávez’s ability to put into effect his nuclear plans, stating of Chávez, “This is braggadocio. It's a way of challenging Bush, of making themselves feel important and forcing the United States to pay attention.”

The United States is certainly paying attention, but is this braggadocio, or a slap in the face towards Congressional power?