Shifter thinks that the US multilateral policy towards Latin America puts Brazil as the leading character

Politics
Michael Shifter, a professor with Georgetown University and Vice-President of the Inter-American Dialogue, a think tank based in Washington, visited Caracas last week to take part in several forums and seminars.

How is Venezuela viewed from Washington?
There is in Venezuela accumulation of power in the hands of a president who makes all the significant decisions and this has reduced any kind of limits to the Executive actions. This does not fit in the concept of liberal, representative democracy, with power balance and assurances for the rule of law. It is a process that has developed over the last 11 years and the obvious trend is to become more autocratic.

Are these regimes tolerated, provided that they do an effective work?
The fact of the matter is that they will not work at the end of the day. A government structure where a person makes the key decisions does not solve problems in our globalized, complex world.

It does not solve problems, yet remains in office.
It does not solve problems and will eventually produce significant vulnerabilities which will damage its ability to remain in office. If work is not done; if there are not solutions for the problems undergone by the majority, which are the poorest, there is the possibility of resorting to other methods, such as control or charm, but the model will turn out to be unsustainable and doomed to demise. This is mirrored in declining support to the government, as found by the surveys.

Such self-destruction should create a change. But which change and under which circumstances?
I must concede that it is a difficult situation, but the outcome should be within the democratic framework. Weaknesses should be utilized; there is the need to get organized and propose alternative means, no matter what difficult, because any other choices will be worse. I am not saying that it is an easy choice, but making choices different from the democratic ones might bring along worse consequences.

Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez claims that his US counterpart Barack Obama is a good man. However, in cases such as the coup in Honduras, the military and the diplomats acted without seeking his advice. Do you think that the most powerful man in the world can be bypassed in this way?
President Obama has only nine months in office and little can be done during this time. He is defining his agenda, but bureaucracy cannot be changed overnight. All in all, changes are being felt. Now, President Chávez's wording is not news. We have seen it before. He would say that (ex US President Bill) Clinton was a nice guy, but the Pentagon was behind him. This shows lacks of understanding. Obama is the President of the United States, a country with national interests, and he must defend them. Perhaps in a different token; in a different style compared with (ex US President George W.) Bush, but at bottom, he is defending his country's interests.

Do you mean that Obama took part in the Honduras events?
No, even though many people in Latin America think so. It is a historical reflection with no grounds in fact. What happened in Honduras was the result of an internal situation where the United States had nothing to do.

Obama bases his foreign policy on multilateralism instead of unilateralism. Has Brazil become sort of sub-imperialism agreed with the United States, considering its leading role in Honduras?
I do not think that Brazil has played the leading role in Honduras, because (deposed President Manuel) Zelaya happened to arrive in the Brazilian embassy. I do think that Brazil has played the leading role in issues, such as Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia. It is clear; it is the giant of the South. And the challenge for President Obama is how to keep an important alliance with Brazil, acknowledging its role in South America, but without leaving the US policy in its hands. A point of balance must be found in this regard.

Translated by Conchita Delgado

Roberto Giusti
EL UNIVERSAL