* Another meeting of heads of state from the Americas laced with high hopes and grandiloquence was left with very little in the way of accomplishments. Much posturing took place: President Carlos Mesa of Bolivia complained about Chile's acquiring Bolivia's coastline in the War of the Pacific, President Kirchner again stated that he would not pay Argentina's debts on the backs of Argentina's citizens, President Bush condemns Castro (however correct he is in this case) and got an earful from the other nations to his south about neoliberalism. A promising measure to address corruption was defeated as the US insisted on accused nations being banned from future summits and the other participating nations not being comfortable with the possibility of having the US use this measure as a cudgel against its rivals. * Marcela Sánchez probably had the best idea: ban the media from these meetings. With no visible audience to play to, they might actually accomplish something. HUGO CHÁVEZ, EL INTRUSO * Hugo Chávez, caudillo wannabee of Venezuela decided to intrude into the dispute regarding Bolivia's loss of its seacoast 120+ years ago in The War of the Pacific. Chávez odiously accused Chile's President Lagos of defending (retired dictator and former Chilean general) Augusto Pinochet's position on this issue . If Chávez knew anything about history he would know that Lagos was imprisoned under Pinochet's regime and that Lagos was one of the few to openly and publicly chastise Pinochet on national television. * Chile, for its part, regards the matter as a bilateral issue to be dealt with diplomatically and not in the media. This has become an issue that has unified Bolivia, albeit tenuously. Bolivian blogger, Miguel Centellas is unimpressed, however. * Chávez, for his part should be more concerned about allegations of sabotage in the signature verification process for the possible referendum for his recall. Anything less than a completely transparent process will only backfire on him and increase the divisiveness in Venezuela. Is that what he really wants? BRAZIL * Is Brazil attempting to become the regional heavyweight for Latin America? Quite possibly. The New York Times noted the Brazilian government is leading the fight in the World Trade Organization (WTO) on cotton subsidies for US farmers lobbying for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and despite losing twenty-one of its leading rocket scientists in a horrific accident last year, still has an ambitious space program. * Should Washington be worried? I don't think so, unless it is concerned about the status quo changing. Despite the recent dust-up on fingerprinting visitors (which showed misbehavior on both sides), Lula has pleased the markets and money institutions with his fiscal stewardship, interest rates have declined in Brazil without inflation skyorcketing, the economy is projected to grow by 4% this year and unemployment has dropped. He has also led the signing of a free trade agreement between India and the Mercosur trade pact. What does President Bush have to fear from free traders and responsible stewardship of a nation's economy? COLOMBIA * Secretary of State Colin Powell has certified that Colombia is meeting congressional standards for protecting human rights. This will result in some $34 million in aid being released to Colombian security forces. Human Rights Watch is objecting to the ties that the military has with the brutal paramilitary organizations in Colombia, some of the leaders of which (like Carlos Castaño, leader of the AUC) are under indictment in the US for drug trafficking, whose brutality led them to refer to themselves as "the headsplitters" and who have been active in extorting land from rich and poor. * The EU has also put President Uribe on notice that he will have tough questions awaiting him on human rights issues when he goes there next month seeking aid. I have nothing but contempt for the FARC, the AUC and the ELN and my sympathies lie squarely and firmly with the victims of their brutality and all of the majority of decent Colombians trying desperately to lead normal lives. I don't think that the military should receive this aid unless they purge officers with ties to the AUC. CUBA * Yes, Godless Communist Fidel Castro has financed the construction of a new Eastern Orthodox Church in Cuba and presided at the consecration of the church. The Orthodox Patriarch spoke out against the US embargo of Cuba after the consecration. Is that all it takes to get a new church built in Cuba? Ignore your conscience? Make an unholy alliance? NEW LATIN AMERICAN WEBZINE * Southern Exposure, the new group blog I mentioned in my last briefing has now been incorporated into a larger webzine called Living in Latin America. There are plenty of issues being discussed and a number of contributors. Come over and visit. The next installment of Randinho's Latin America Briefing will be February 24. Meanwhile, regular updates concerning Latin American events can be found at Beautiful Horizons.