The Dec. 7 editorial "Hugo Chavez, democrat" -- about the defeat of a Chavez-backed constitutional reform package in Venezuela's recent referendum -- misses the whole point, or maybe The Japan Times just happens to share the U.S. perspective on South American geopolitics.
The defeat was only by 2 percent -- a very small margin by any democratic standard. The more important question is, "What are the implications of a stronger South America on the United States?"
While Chavez may seem to be authoritarian at times, he is no less patriotic and effective than former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Decades ago, Lee would have been labeled authoritarian by any Western standards, but today, he is regarded as a senior statesman whose ideas are much sought after.
I would have to agree with Chavez's allegations about plots against him. This is not because we share the same paranoia. We simply remember the lessons of history. Remember Salvador Allende of Chile?
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