Aaah, Chávez...the next darling of the international left. Just because someone opposes all the stuff you dislike (capitalism, America, oil industry, fruit industries) does not mean he deserves a free pass.

What is it with Latin America? When a rightwing dictator is in power, the right in the West defends him. When a leftwing dictator is in power, the left in the West will defend him.

I accuse both the left and the right of hating freedom, of abusing Latin America, of imperialism in the name of private ideological preference, and of making themselves an accomplice to gross infringement of human rights.

Nowhere in the world is there a bigger difference between the left and the right than in Latin America. A middle class, both ideological and economical, is virtually absent. The middle class is always the carrier of moderation and of liberal democracy. As a result, civil society is underdeveloped. Bolstering this is more instrumental than applauding the dictator of your side for keeping out the dictator of the other side.


Human Rights Watch. A Decade Under Chávez:
http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2008/0...e-under-ch-vez