Herma Marksman, that is:
THERE are many reasons why Herma Marksman still looks back fondly on the 10 years she spent as the mistress of Hugo Chavez, who at the time was an ambitious lieutenant-colonel on his way to becoming the president of Venezuela.
Elephants in Academia says,
I can just imagine the swarmy “softer side” of Hugo
but I’d rather not. Herma’s a professor of history who obviously has bad taste in men, but at least she isn’t buying the current charismatic-leader-helping-the-poor-offering-free-health-care-education-adult-literacy-and-job-training-initiatives-that-help-millions-of-VenezuelansTM crap as so many do. This might get Marksman in Hugo’s crosshairs (all puns fully intended), but Hugo’s away on business.
After having lunch in London, where Ken Livingston invited Harold Pinter, Bianca Jagger, fashion designer Katherine Hamnett and Michael Lynch, director of the South Bank Centre, Hugo will be heading to Libya tomorrow, but Hugo found time to be his usual obnoxious self, and will be spending about $100 million in weapons purchases a year with Iran.
Hugo’s sidekick Evo is trying to put the squeeze on some of Red Ken’s fellow countrymen, but at least he wasn’t at Red Ken’s lunch.
Cambridge U professor David Lehmann proposes
This is where Europe can play a creative role, by helping countries such as Bolivia that are falling under Venezuela’s influence – not by defending European multinationals’ investments (they can look after their own political risks), but through increased aid to non-governmental organisations, and by holding out the prospect of support for good government subject to proper respect for the rules of democracy.
I wish Prof. Lehmann luck on his proposal. He has his work cut out for him, if he’s going to be part of that project. As an academic, he’s probably just talking about it.
Meanwhile, in Argentina, President Néstor Kirchner’s renationalizing oil (at least in part) company Repsol YPF, which some would disrespectfully call a monkey-see, monkey-do move, but which has caused the Buenos Aires Herald to call Kirchner Evo Perón.
Small wonder we find the EU Perplexed by Leftist Latin America.
As Helen said,
Still, as long as there is bi-regional strategic partnership, the need for further meetings and summits is guaranteed.
Update 2: U.S. bans weapons sales to Venezuela. As I mentioned this morning, Hugo’s buying $100million/yr’s worth of weapons from Iran.
We’ll see how it goes in Libya.
(technorati tags Venezuela, Bolivia, evo morales, Hugo Chavez, European Union)
