Sunday, March 18, 2007

Op-Ed in the New York Times by novelist Luisa Valenzuela (NYT). Valenzuela describes what Chavez means to her and to others in Argentina, where he staged a well-attended protest of Bush's visit to South America this past week. She describes the psychological effects of the economic crisis on Argentinians of a few years ago, and how that has bound the lower and middle classes together, to be open to each other, but also to be open to the rest of the continent -- acknowledging the common problems they face. Chavez' regionalist approach thus finds open ears in post-crisis Argentina. His aid - funded by Venezuela's abundant oil - is well-received there, too.

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