Word: zapatero
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...behind the royal reprimand, much of the international media missed what may have set Chávez off in the first place. Chávez became visibly irritated at the summit when Spain's current Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero - a socialist and Chávez ally - insisted that Latin America needs to attract more foreign capital if it's going to make a dent in its chronic, deepening poverty. Chávez blames "savage capitalism" for Latin America's gaping inequality and insists "only socialism" can fix it - hence his tirade against Aznar and other...
Back in Caracas today, Chávez is conveniently leaving the comments of Zapatero, who is supposed to be one of his leftist kindred spirits, out of the discussion. "What Zapatero said must have really bothered Chávez," says Venezuelan author and Chávez biographer Alberto Barrera. "It broke with the leftist fundamentalism on Latin America that he demands all his allies follow...
...garner. The chavistas rightly argue that the distribution of capitalism's fruits has been grossly unequal in Latin America - which is a large reason why leftists like Chávez have been swept into power in recent years. But the region needs that investment nonetheless - and even leftists like Zapatero sound impatient with the region's mediocre performance...
Criticism by the opposition Partido Popular (PP) that Zapatero is soft on the nationalists - and separatists - in the Basque and Catalan provinces appear to have pushed the Prime Minister toward a tougher stance on nationalist demands. He has certainly come down hard on ETA and has closed off negotiations with Batasuna for a political solution to the decades-old Basque conflict. Zapatero acknowledged recently that there should be "no expectation" of new negotiations with...
...some critics believe Zapatero's calculations may backfire. Paul Rios, general coordinator of Lokarri, a social movement for peace in the Basque Country, sasy: "[Zapatero's] strategy is wrong either way. The PP is still going to come after him, whatever he does. At the same time, by taking out [Batasuna's leadership] he is leaving the door open to the hard-liners, just as the group was undergoing a profound debate on the consequences of the broken cease-fire...