While Chavez's words may seem odd to us, we can hardly sympathize with his situation (or that of Morales). We are the big dog on the block. Chavez and Morales face the constant threat of being overthrown simply because they don't allow us to choose their economic system. Our government sponsors criminals who attempt to overthrow their governments so they can install right-wing dictatorships who will give us favorable terms on oil. They had every right to expel our diplomats. In fact, I don't see why they didn't do that years ago. Our government has been after Chavez from the beginning and they appear to have also targeted Morales before he was even elected. Why should they deal with us when we insist on acting like children?
Is it any wonder Venezuela turned to Russia for help? We've certainly not given them any reason to trust us. They know the only way to prevent US intervention is to have a strong partner willing to defend them.
|