ALBERTO GARRIDO
EL UNIVERSAL

While the polarization between US President George W. Bush and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chávez has not burst yet, it has escalated. The block composed of Chávez, Cuban ruler Fidel Castro and Bolivian President Evo Morales resolved to bolster, by means of energy pressure, the revolutionary socialist triangle. Their space, so far, is the Americas, with no national exceptions. Polarization prompted by Cuba, Venezuelan and Bolivia considered as completed the stage of Inter-American institutional transition, because it is not in line with their strategic interests, the goal of which is the establishment of socialism in the hemisphere.

The Andean Community of Nations (CAN) is not needed anymore because is useful for the United States on its way to the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), via Free Trade Agreements (FTA's). The Group of Three (G3), including Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela, is also superfluous, because Mexico and Colombia entered into agreements with the United States.

Uruguay, disappointed with "this" Mercosur of Brazil and Argentina, is getting ready to execute a FTA with Washington. Ecuador is sorely tempted to sign it. These and other countries on similar conditions got a message. Even Brazil and Argentina, that tried to use Chávez and the Venezuelan oil to "soften" Washington during the discussions towards a light FTAA, i.e., to make them solve trade differences between the United States and both nations, have to choose between their national interests and their energy future.

Chávez radical behavior goes beyond the electoral-international or domestic areas, including a referendum to remain in power until 2031. Peruvian candidate for president Ollanta Humala failed to understand it. Lula and Kirchner did not get it either. Chávez is a major polarizing factor in the hemisphere. It is the turn of states. However, the turn of peoples, represented by parties or movements, is coming. Never mind that they have petro-states as a strategic weapon.

Nevertheless, the agreement executed in Havana is the Free Peoples' Agreement. This is why Chávez talks about replacing the term of "integration" with "union," closer to the Bolivarian idea of great homeland. It is just that this union should take place in the ultimate context of a socialist Latin America and the Caribbean. Such a strategy carries several stages, particularly the resistance, or asymmetric, war against the United States.

The White House does not fully understand what it is facing. In the meantime, it continues developing the assumption of "multiple wars" in the context of global confrontation. This helps to explain why director Porter Gross quit the CIA leadership. Gross paved the way for Michael Hayden, a general of the team of John Negroponte, one of the most renowned hawks under the administrations of Ronald Reagan and Bush II.

The Pentagon controls already almost 80 percent of US spying and intelligence budgets.

For his part, according to The Washington Post, Donald Rumsfeld gave the green light to the establishment of Special Forces in Latin America "with absolute freedom to act." Thus, the Pentagon will not need to ask for clearance of the US embassies in those countries where they will be deployed.

He, who has eyes, should use common sense.

Translated by Conchita Delgado