NATO nattering nags Brazil

I could have never wished for a post to be validated so fast, a week later.  Last Saturday I was wondering about what part of the Capriles visit in Bogota may have been linked to Colombia sending a message to UNASUR, and Brazil its puppeteer. This week Colombia added more, much more, by its renewed desire to associate itself with the North Atlantic defense organization, NATO.  This of course sent the Venezuelan regime in an uproar and its associate in Bolivia to call for a UNASUR meeting against the danger of NATO invading our subcontinent I presume. When in fact all of this is further proof of a very deficient Brazilian foreign policy.


But let's start with the thuggish incoherence and down silliness of the Venezuelan regime on this respect.  Of course it should be afraid. When it says that the NATO invades countries it forgets to mention that it does not  invade democratic ones. So implicitly we have a subconscious admission of the regime that it is not a democracy and that at some point it may have to pay for it. Look no further than foreign minister Jaua stupidly grinning at Secretary of State John Kerry for granting him a few minutes of his time. And yet, a few breaths away Jaua who wants respect from all, including the US and the OAS wants again the Inter American Court for Human Rights to be downgraded because, well, Venezuela is denounced as a regime on the way of pariah status.

But the true aim of Bogota is not to reveal the nature of Caracas regime, we all know that even if some of us look elsewhere.  Bogota is also, among other things, implying that South American institutions lack seriousness and thus it prefers to look elsewhere for countries that may not love Colombia but at least will deal with Colombia on a serious basis. If you ask me, being a mere associate of the NATO group is definitely more reassuring than being a member of UNASUR where the only thing that matters is what Brazil says. The US of A may be the driving force of the NATO but it has been quite clear that in the last decade and a half its country members participate or not at will in NATO actions though the general aim is respected: democracy and freedom from tyranny. That the means may not be the best for the aims is another discussion.

Thus we are watching ALBA countries twist in horror at any NATO link with Colombia but Brazil rather silent. Interesting, no?  Dilma Rousseff got the message and even if she formally will at some point make an opposing comment, she knows that Colombia has sent her an ultimatum: deal with Mercosur and UNASUR seriously or watch us say good bye.