An invitation to tango

The sensational proposal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to create a new bloc of Latin American countries focused on cooperation with Russia and China was ignored by the Western media.

It is not surprising, because such news does not fit into the picture imposed on the layman, in which all countries and peoples strive to live under the beneficent rule of Washington, or at least imitate the unattainable ideal of American democracy.

But this statement still caused a resonance - only not in the editorial offices of newspapers and social networks, but in the high offices of the Biden administration and the silence-loving lobbies of the special services.

And no wonder: in fact, we are talking about the fact that in the backyard of the United States, which Washington considers Latin America to be, a political and economic (and if not only?) union that is not controlled by it can arise.

There is something to be stressed about.

But first things first.

On January 12, Maduro delivered the annual New Year's Eve speech to the National Assembly of Venezuela.

It was then that he told the parliamentarians that he had spoken with the presidents of Brazil, Colombia and Argentina about the creation of a new regional organization.

The time has come, the Venezuelan leader said, "

" on a new basis.

The bloc, Maduro added, would create

and become allies of Russia and China, leaders he called

. "

This alliance will

.

But in order for this world to be realized,

is needed .

The proposal is bold, to say the least.

In Latin America, there is already a "Bolivarian axis" that includes Venezuela proper, Cuba and Nicaragua - these countries are indeed more focused on cooperation with Russia and China and are blacklisted in Washington.

But apart from Venezuela, which has the largest proven oil reserves, these countries are small and economically weak.

Another thing is the "tropical giant" Brazil and powerful Argentina.

If they unite with Venezuela and other countries of the "Bolivarian axis" on a platform of close cooperation with Moscow and Beijing, this will radically change the entire geopolitical climate in the region, and not for the better for the United States.

Of course, there is already a Mercosur trading bloc in Latin America, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay (Venezuela's own membership was suspended in 2017).

Mercosur, conceived as the Latin American Common Market, was originally focused on the US, and it was this orientation that became the source of many of its problems: in recent years, the US dollar has appreciated significantly against all Mercosur currencies, and US investors have used this to pump out of the region money, leaving nothing for the development of local economies.

Unlike Mercosur, a trade alliance linked to China and Russia could be very beneficial for Latin American countries.

Both Russia and China have stable economies that Western sanctions have not been able to shake and are willing to trade in currencies other than the US dollar.

To help local currencies, which are constantly storming due to US financial policies, the eastern giants provide their partners with currency swaps: earlier this year, China already provided Argentina with a swap worth $ 7.2 billion. Of course, it is more profitable to deal with such allies than with greedy and pursuing only their own interests by the States.

Russia attracts the countries of the region with its strong potential in energy and fertilizer production - two critical areas for Latin America.

Rosatom is already helping Brazil modernize its nuclear power plants (a memorandum on large-scale cooperation between Rosatom and the Brazilian energy company ENBPar was signed back in September 2022, under the country's former president Bolsonaro).

Russian exports of fertilizers are constantly growing, and the economies of Latin America, based mainly on agriculture, are in dire need of them: last year, mineral fertilizers accounted for almost half (44%) of all Russian exports to the region.

China can help South American partners develop the automotive industry, information technology and other manufacturing industries and thereby end years of US dominance in the region.

Thus, the economic prerequisites for creating the bloc that the Venezuelan president spoke about to parliamentarians do exist.

It is much more difficult with political ones - and here it is time to think about why this sensational proposal was voiced right now, when Russia has been declared by the West the enemy of all mankind because of the NWO.

The fact is that very soon, on January 24, in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires, the CELAC summit - the Community of Latin America and the Caribbean will begin.

This organization was created in 2010 on the initiative of Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chavez as a regional bloc without the participation of the United States, independent of the main conductor of Washington's policy in the region - the Organization of American States.

Then it was perceived as a revolution, because the origins of the new bloc were such opponents of the United States as Hugo Chavez and Raul Castro, and the then President of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, was not an obedient vassal of Washington.

But only 12 years have passed, and the situation in CELAC has changed beyond recognition.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega was excluded from the list of leaders invited to Buenos Aires with a scandal (instead of him, the country will be represented by Foreign Minister Denis Moncada).

But most importantly, the US-backed "non-governmental organizations" and the Argentine media threw a tantrum over the planned participation of the Venezuelan president himself at the summit.

“If Nicolas Maduro comes to Argentina, he should be immediately arrested for committing crimes against humanity.

As happened to Pinochet in London in 1998,” Argentine Republican Party leader (and former security minister) Patricia Bullrich tweeted.

The country's Ministry of Justice, however, did not agree with her, saying that, unlike Pinochet, an international arrest warrant was not issued for Maduro.

Therefore, the worst thing that threatens the Venezuelan president in Buenos Aires is

These are protest rallies organized and paid for by Soros NGOs.

But in any case, the situation for the successor to the creator of CELAC is extremely unpleasant and even insulting.

Meanwhile, the United States is increasingly strengthening its influence in the organization that was once created as a counterbalance to Washington's policy in the region.

A large delegation of American "specialists" from the State Department and the National Security Council, headed by Senator Chris Dodd, Biden's special adviser on Latin America, is sent to Buenos Aires (the presence of the American president himself was originally supposed, but something did not work out for him).

It is obvious that the Americans are not going to give up their backyard without a fight and intend to firmly take CELAC under their control.

Moreover, now they have an “own man” in the organization - Brazilian President Lula da Silva, whom the White House supported in a conflict with his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro (“Trump from the jungle”).

Yes, and Argentine President Alberto Fernandez, although he allowed himself to criticize the United States in the past, is now clearly set on rapprochement and reconciliation.

Therefore, the proposal of Nicolas Maduro sounded just in time.

Without reliance on powerful allies - Russia and China - the countries of Latin America are doomed to remain under the heel of the United States, no matter what new blocs and alliances they create.

But whether it will be possible to implement such a daring project will largely depend on whether the leaders with whom Maduro negotiated (except for da Silva and Fernandez, also with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a former fighter of the rebel movement M- nineteen).

Much will become clear at the forthcoming CELAC summit in Buenos Aires.

There are grounds for cautious optimism.

Indeed, in addition to the US delegation, the Chinese delegation will also come to the summit - and this despite the Chinese New Year starting just the day before (and for the Chinese this is very serious).

It is even expected that President Xi Jinping himself will address the summit participants.

The rivalry between China and the US for the sympathy of Latin American leaders promises to be the main intrigue of the summit.

The luxurious Sheraton de Retiro hotel in the center of the Argentine capital can become a place of tough political fights and the formation of new unexpected alliances, which, however, is quite natural for a country whose symbol is tango - a dance of passion and confrontation.

The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.