OnPrincipleBlog

It’s beautiful to see democratic voices in action.

There are many reasons for Central American countries, modern 2nd world players in the World economy, to resent the USA as a superpower. Yet, there are also at least as many reasons to for them to thank God for the generosity and stability of the the USA.

Weighing the Pro’s and Con’s of this relationship are on the ballot in Costa Rica today. No matter the result, the healthy outpouring of democratic participation should be an encouraging sign for us in the US.

Through our left-leaning media, we see repeated glorification of Hugo Chavez and his Communist, militarized, fascist government blitzkrieg over the welcoming political terrain of South and Central America. But as we see in Costa Rica today, this just isn’t a holistic view of the current state of affairs and opinions of our southern friends.

An interesting summary of opinion from the Pew Global Attitudes Survey appeared in a recent Weekly Standard:

Of the seven Latin American nations polled, large majorities of Chileans (75 percent), Brazilians (74 percent), Peruvians (70 percent), Mexicans (66 percent), and Bolivians (59 percent) express little or no confidence in Chávez “to do the right thing regarding world affairs.” As Pew puts it, “He is widely recognized–and widely mistrusted–throughout Latin America.” Even in Argentina, perhaps the most anti-American country in the region, a full 43 percent of respondents have little or no confidence in Chávez.

That’s not all. Majorities in Brazil (65 percent), Chile (60 percent), Mexico (55 percent), and Bolivia (53 percent), along with a plurality in Peru (47 percent), agree that “most people are better off in a free market economy, even though some people are rich and some are poor.” Indeed, a whopping 72 percent of Venezuelans agree with that statement. “There is broad support for free-market economic policies across Latin America,” Pew reports, “despite the election in the past decade of leftist leaders.”

Just when the US seems to have discounted our President, our economy and our standing in foreign affairs - citizens in nations like Costa Rica stand in line for hours to express their voices in the the great decision of aligning with us in the march toward a collaborative future.

It seems the truths of our Declaration truly are universal and self-evident. . .

On Principle,
CBass

Japan has a new Prime Minister and, perhaps more importantly, the Free World is reminded it has a faithful friend.

The results are in. Yasuo Fukuda has won a very lopsided win over his rival Taro Aso. The two men both represent the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which in Japan is actually a group closely aligned with George W. Bush conservatism.

Most Americans would remember the LDP’s most colorful leader, Junichiro Koizumi; the Elvis loving, staunch ally of the US and personal friend of President Bush.

What’s important about this election is definitely something about who won, but it’s more about their shared position on policies which most American’s would assume to separate the two rivals - Japan’s continued support for coalition efforts in the Middle East.

After a full week of campaigning, there were few policy differences between the two candidates on many important issues. . . both have also inherited Abe’s insistence on continuing Japan’s support of coalition forces in Afghanistan through its refueling operations in the Indian Ocean.

Students of history will remember that Japan acquiesced to a humiliating surrender in the face of America’s nuclear arsenal. Since those days, Japan’s constitution, both its written document of governance and its wounded national psyche, has forbidden the nation to raise and launch an offensive military force for over 60 years. In this light, it was amazing to see Japanese soldiers involved in the coalition of nations who fought to overthrow Saddam and wrest control in Iraq. After several years of struggle, Japanese soldiers left the theater of Iraq, but the Japanese military has been continuously supporting the Coalition forces in the Middle East theater ever since.

Say what we will about how Pres. Bush has “supposedly” lost all international support, Japan will be a key player in a world of power which is shifting the Pacific.

It’s nice to have faithful friends.

On Principle,

CBass