UNASUR EMERGENCY MEETING

In response to the crisis in Bolivia, an emergency meeting of nine Union of Nations of South America (UNASUR) Presidents was convened on Monday September 15^th in Santiago, Chile.  The meeting was a success for Bolivia and for UNASUR itself, reflecting a changing balance of power in the hemisphere.  The call for a UNASUR, rather than an OAS meeting, effectively excluded the United States from participating.

            As we head out to observe the voting on the CAFTA referendum, it seems appropriate to compare the state of democracy in the U.S. with that of Costa Rica.  We have only been here a short time, but we've received an intensive course in Costa Rican history and politics.  It has become obvious from this instruction that we in the U.S. have much to learn, if we are to prevent the complete dissolution of the few semblances of democracy which remain in our country.

            We quickly learned that the referendum campaign has included a permanent and massive campaign of fear mongering from the Costa Rican and U.S. governments and a large segment of the corporate sector here.  There are many examples of this operation. 

            We headed out of the office at 7am, destination San Carlos, a city about 120 kilometers from San Jose. In addition to giving the delegation a splendid tour, the purpose was to take the latest flyers and stickers to offices there and around the province of Alejuela.  By the end of the day we would feel, up close, the energy of popular participation in this David and Goliath struggle. 

On January 10, 2007 Daniel Ortega was inaugurated as President of Nicaragua, an outcome the US fought long and hard to prevent.  In the context of unanimous praise for the electoral process on the part of observers, and a massive shift to the Democrats in the U.S. elections, the U.S. government has, at least for the moment, felt obliged to acknowledge the results and legitimacy of the Nicaraguan elections.

Gustavo Guzman the new Bolivian ambassador who has been assigned to the United States is traveling to the U. S.  on August 15^th. A few days before setting out for Washington, Guzman is presenting President Evo Morales' strategy to establish a "historic relationship" with the North American power.