Juggling War and Peace in Venezuelan Miami
<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Sunday, April 20, 2003 By: Alvaro Sanchez
USA-based commentarist Alvaro Sanchez writes: Three days after the US-led war in Iraq started, Venezuelan leaders in Miami were planning to stage a musical concert at the Miami Arena to call for peace in Venezuela. Likewise, a Catholic mass at the Mother of Christ church was announced on March 28 to pray for peace in Venezuela. This mass took place after it had been reported that the battle of An Nasiriya (Iraq) had resulted in a large number of casualties there, both civilian and military.
Surprisingly, no Venezuelan-sponsored activity in Miami had advocated for peace in Iraq.
If Venezuelans in Miami were truly honest in their hopes for peace, they would have joined other groups in this community that had asked for diplomatic solutions to the crisis in Iraq.
Why is the Venezuelan community in Miami acting in such a non-consistent fashion?
Perhaps we need to look at the Venezuelan dichotomy of war and peace from a political angle:
First, Venezuela is not involved in any kind of war at this point. Clearly, Venezuela is not being attacked or invaded by any other nation. Or for that matter, Venezuela is not attacking or invading any other country. By the same token, there is no civil war taking place in Venezuela. Although there are major disagreements between groups of people and political factions in Venezuela, it would be irresponsible to label that type of political climate as a civil war. Fortunately, the level of democracy in Venezuela allows for its citizens to voice their concerns and disagreements.
- There are no political prisoners and media censorship is non-existent.
From a democratic point of view, it is even healthy for a political process to have actors disagreeing on various issues. It’s dangerous to have people agreeing on everything. Of course, there needs to be rules to play by, otherwise it would be chaos. And obviously it is convenient for the Venezuelan government, and for the Venezuelan population in general, to avoid chaos and to keep order. On the other hand, certain elements in the Venezuelan opposition are interested in the crumbling of Venezuelan society as a way to discredit the administration of President Hugo Chavez.
These are the same elements that supported the 3 month labor stoppage that negatively affected the Venezuelan government and population alike. Because of this situation, most Venezuelan leaders in Miami seem to be interested in portraying Venezuela as a place where “war” is in place and “peace” is a dream.
Such analysis doesn’t reflect realities in Venezuela ... but it intends to forward narrow-minded political agendas by Venezuelan opposition leaders both in Venezuela and abroad.
Such discourse expects to bring more people and groups in Miami together to unite in an anti-Chavez front; however, by presenting this Venezuelan picture of chaos, they are diminishing possibilities for Venezuela to attract foreign investment.
The real question still remains unanswered: if Venezuelan leaders in Miami are so concerned about peace, why do they reject peace in Iraq?
The Venezuelan government joined ranks with most nations worldwide in rejecting the US-led war in Iraq. Unlike other occasions where the political position of President Hugo Chavez has lacked international support, this time he seemed in very good company ... even the Pope disagrees with war in Iraq. Indeed, Chavez even urged the United Nations to issue a statement that would oppose the US policy towards Iraq.
At this point, Venezuelan opposition leaders are found in a trap, for even if some of them disagree with the war in Iraq, they are just afraid to be portrayed as Chavez’ supporters on foreign policy. That same weak reasoning has transcended to South Florida ... Venezuelan opposition leaders in Miami simply don’t want to take part in a peaceful movement that has already been joined by Hugo Chavez.
In Miami, this situation is even more dramatic than it is in Venezuela. Not only Venezuelan opposition leaders in Miami have to be tough and critical about anything Chavez says or does, but they must also please the Cuban community...
At times it's difficult to tell what group in Miami would be more interested in an anti-Chavez movement: the Venezuelan community or the Cuban community. For instance, in a recent march that took place in January at Miami’s Calle 8, various organizations such as the Venezuelan-American Brotherhood and the Venezuelan-American Chamber of Commerce called for Venezuelans and other national communities to gather and protest against the Chavez administration and its policies ... and of course, they also rallied for “peace” in Venezuela.
The reality is that the logistical organization of that anti-Chavez march was carried out by a group of Cuban-Americans based in Miami. Among them was Antonio Calatayud. Interestingly, as the sole owner of Sweetwater's Primera Farmacia Latina, Calatayud was arrested a few days later and charged with fraud against Medicaid. Cuban-American elements like Calatayud seem to be the ones in charge of Venezuelan opposition activities in Miami.
Sadly, as corrupt as some groups in the Cuban community may appear to be, the Venezuelan opposition in Miami feels a need to ally itself to them. After all, the Cuban-American political machinery in Miami has a well-greased organization both at grassroots and higher political levels that may well serve Venezuelan opposition leaders in their efforts to get rid of Chavez.
Likewise, and from another point of view, the Cuban community in Miami would not have dared oppose the war in Iraq, for doing so would be to oppose President Bush’s foreign policy ... and under no circumstance do Cubans in Miami want to be perceived as critical of George W.
So like Republican policies dominate Cuban agendas here, it now appears that such pressure seems to also control the Venezuelan community in South Florida.
In the end, most Venezuelans in Miami are quickly switching (back and forth) from hawks to doves, depending on the circumstances ... and such political moves not only confuse the audience they also affect our image and credibility.
Alvaro Sanchez was born in Venezuela and is a middle school teacher in Miami. He is a graduate of the State University of New York – Albany. He is currently working on his Master’s Degree in Latin American history. You may email him at a2000@rocketmail.com
The War in Iraq, effects and consequences discuss the role of the United Nations towards an equitable solution for the Iraqi people Venezuelan Foreign Policy discuss the relative merits of Venezuela's foreign policy and its effects
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