from Novosti (Russia)

What do Chavez and Saakashvili have in common?

When a revolution is imminent (even if only in theory), it is essential to switch the nation's attention to an "external enemy."
The case in point is not only the Georgian government led by Mikhail Saakashvili, who blamed Moscow for sponsoring the opposition when the street demonstrations reached their peak. I mean a totally different country - Venezuela. In a similar situation, President Hugo Chavez decided to find a culprit outside the country. In his opinion, not only Washington, the favorite object of his criticism, but also Madrid is to blame for all Venezuelan troubles.
At the Ibero-American summit in Santiago Chile, Chavez sounded very similar to President Saakashvili, who keeps accusing the Russian regime of "destabilizing the situation in Georgia." Chavez lashed out at former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar for being a "fascist" on several grounds.
First, Chavez accused Aznar of making "humiliating remarks about some developing nations" during his visit to Caracas in 1999. Second, he mentioned a deal, which Aznar offered him a year later, oil contracts in exchange for the curtailment of contacts with Fidel Castro. Finally, he alleged that the Spanish authorities not only knew about the preparations for the coup d'etat in 2002, but also openly backed its organizers. Chavez claimed that without Madrid's approval the then Spanish ambassador in Venezuela would not have dared meet opposition leader Pedro Carmona, while the dislodged president was languishing at the Turiamo military base. Eventually, these allegations led to a scandal; King Juan Carlos of Spain told the Venezuelan president to shut up and left the hall. After the summit ended, Chavez said that "nobody, not even the King, will shut me up when I am telling the truth."
The Venezuelan leader is notorious for his fiery rhetoric. Speaking about George W. Bush at the UN General Assembly, he said "the devil came here, right here... and it still smells of sulfur today." He called Condoleezza Rice illiterate and former Mexican President Vicente Fox a "lapdog of imperialism." Chavez can drive anyone wild and seems to be doing this for a reason. This time, he was worried not at all about Spain, which replaced the traditional "number one enemy" in his criticism, but about the situation at home. On December 2 (the day of parliamentary elections in Russia), Venezuela will hold a referendum on amendments to the Constitution, which would give more powers to the president. The closer it gets, the more nervous Chavez becomes; - the police are using batons, rubber bullets and water cannons against protesters almost every day.
Moreover, not only long-time opponents (the Catholic Church, for example, believes that the proposed amendments infringe on democratic freedoms, including the freedom of religion), but even former allies have turned against Chavez. His former Defense Minister Raul Baduel, who played a key role in Chavez's return to the presidential palace in 2002, described the president-proposed reforms as a "constitutional coup" and an attempt to legalize the forceful seizure of power. Chavez's ex-wife, Marisabel Rodriguez, came to the defense of the Spanish monarch: "How could one behave like that with the King of Spain. President! You should treat others with respect and they will reciprocate."
The ex-wife's opinion may be ignored, but what about the continued actions of protest, which have already produced the first casualties?
Chavez attempted to calm down his compatriots by blaming Washington, for the umpteenth time, for direct involvement in the coup but this trite accusation failed to achieve the desired effect. This is why he found another target for criticism. It was not difficult because Spain is not a new enemy. Speaking at Santiago, the Venezuelan leader reminded Juan Carlos that his country colonized the Americas 500 years ago.
Incidentally, Chavez and Saakashvili have something else in common. Despite heavy criticism of their foreign opponents for interference in domestic affairs, they do not go beyond verbal accusations. Gallery play is one thing and politics (not to mention the economy) is another. Venezuela has never stopped exporting oil to the United States. Nor is Georgia going to give up Russian energy supplies. The larger part of its economy is controlled by Russian business. Both leaders prefer not to mention these details. Although they fiercely criticize their "imperious" neighbors, they do not rush to burn all bridges.
Bellicose rhetoric seldom leads to action. The recent Spanish scandal will have no consequences. At any rate, both Madrid and Caracas have already declared that the verbal duel between Hugo Chavez and Juan Carlos will have no effect on bilateral relations.