Archives for July 2014

Hugo Carvajal, a.k.a. “El Pollo” (the chicken), the Venezuelan consul candidate accused of providing weapons to the FARC, working with Iranian intelligence, and who’s under investigation for his role on the attacks to the Colombian consulate and the Jewish center in Caracas, was released by Aruban authorities, after Holland decided he did qualify for diplomatic immunity but declared him person non-grata.

This is yet another instance where America is perceived as weak, since

The arrest was based on a formal request from the United States. [Aruba’s chief prosecutor Peter] Blanken said Aruba was “obliged to cooperate” because of a treaty with the United States.

Carvajal immediately flew back to Caracas, in time to attend the PSUV congress and walk into Nicolas Maduro’s arms:

Daniel Duquenal:

The thing is that the swift, I repeat the word, retrieval of Carvajal means that not only the army has acted but also the drug traffickers, and all the thugs that could be affected

Raúl Stolk, in a post titled Chicken Run,

This, of course, raises a bunch of questions:

Has the US anything to say? What about the request for extradition?
Jose Ignacio Hernandez explained at Prodavinci that immunity alone would not suffice to protect Carvajal if the reason for his detention was not related to his functions as head of the Venezuelan Consulate in Aruba. Then, why would the Dutch just go with Venezuela’s lame arguments to release the man?
Does everybody fear Diosdado? (Damn!)
Is dealing drugs ok now?

Miguel Octavio has a lot more questions:

-Why did Maduro want to name Carvajal as Consul to Aruba specifically? Is it related to the island being an offshore financial center?

-Why would a legal resident of the US, lend or lease his US company’s jet to someone in the US drug kingpin list in the Patriot’s Act era?

Juan Cristobal Nagel asks, Is there a link between Petrocaribe and Carvajal?

The Caribbean economies are mighty fragile. The last thing the US, the Netherlands, and other colonial powers need … is for Maduro’s instability to spill over into the islands.

Interesting question, but I think Nagel may overestimate U.S. influence on this issue.

UPDATE:
More from Venezuela-Europa:

So: the man in charge of the foreign relations for the Kingdom of the Netherlands took the decision to liberate a man who

came in with a false passport,

had over $20000 with him and had not declared that money

had not received the placet to become a consul,

was accused by the US of having tortured and murdered two Colombian officials, of having helped a terrorist organisation and being responsible for cocaine trafficking.

Why?

To keep the caged bird from singing?

Smart diplomacy!:

A senior U.S. official said the U.S. had been blindsided by the Dutch

July 26, 2014 By Fausta

Guatemala wants US$2 billion, while Honduras bellyaches

Aftermath of Obama’s yesterday meeting:
Guatemalan president: Central America needs at least $2 billion ‘to attack the root of the problem’

As it is, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras received US$163 million:

In 2013, Mexico received $265 million in foreign aid, Guatemala received $84 million, Honduras secured $52 million, and El Salvador got $27 million, according to ForeignAssistance.gov, a U.S. government site.

So Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina wants a tenfold increase in aid.

Meanwhile his buddy, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández wasted no time in blaming the U.S. for his country’s ills, “our neighbor isn’t doing its part.”

The Guardian headline says it all: Central American leaders meet Barack Obama to criticise US border policy

—————————————
In today’s headlines at Drudge,

Obama Readying 'Very Significant' Executive Action On Immigration... Unilateral grant of 'work authorization'... Gutierrez: Amnesty for 5 million... Sessions: Will 'end immigration enforcement'... Plea to America: Melt Congressional Phones, Kill Executive Amnesty...

AMERICANS GETTING POORER
HOUSEHOLD NET WORTH IN DECLINE

Idaho Governor Tells Feds Not To Dump Illegals In His State…

TOO LATE!

GODFATHER: We’ll Take Them…

Feds use vans instead of buses to transport illegals; Avoid attention…

More than 200 dumped in Indiana…

Residents get robocalls about plans to shelter children…

VIDEO: Mayor in Town Besieged by Migrants Accosted by Actvists…

FL schools brace for flood…

‘Death Train’ to increase traveling speeds to deter migrants…

And yes, you read it correctly, Obama’s executive amnesty could include three, four, maybe five million people. But don’t worry, Mark Zuckerberg Pushes Amnesty Letter-Writing Campaign, because, hope and change, whatever.

UPDATE:
Linked to by Pirate’s Cove. Thank you!

July 25, 2014 By Fausta

Aruba: Venezuelan consul detained on drug charges

Three chavistas indicted for conspiring with Colombian FARC drug traffickers to export cocaine to the U.S.:

Hugo Carvajal, a.k.a. “”el Pollo,” a former chief of Venezuelan military intelligence, detained in Aruba while awaiting confirmation as Nicolás Maduro’s consul-general to Aruba,
former Venezuelan judge, Benny Palmeri-Bacchi, arrested last week in Miami,
and the former head of Interpol in Venezuela, Rodolfo McTurk, whereabouts were unknown.

Daniel Duquenal speculates,

If indeed Carvajal is sent to the US, beyond diplomatic implications that this will entail, the local consequences will be high. There are possibly dozens and dozens of chavista high officials with dossiers under investigation and the reality for them has suddenly changed. Never mind that if Carvajal is indeed sent to the US, he may add a lot to these dossiers.

In addition to providing weapons to the FARC, Carvajal had been allegedly working with Iranian intelligence, and is under investigation for his role on the attacks to the Colombian consulate, and the Jewish center in Caracas.

WSJ:

In the Miami indictment unsealed Thursday, Mr. Carvajal is accused of taking bribes from late Colombian kingpin Wilber Varela, who was killed in 2008, and in return allowing Mr. Varela to export cocaine to the U.S. from Venezuela and avoid arrest by Venezuelan authorities.

Carvajal directly dealt with one-time of the world’s top three drug kingpins, Walid Makled, according to Makled himself,

“For example, I used to give a weekly fee of 200 million bolívares (about $50,000 at the time), and 100 million was for General Hugo Carvajal,” Mr. Makled said.

Makled went on trial in Venezuela since the Obama administration dragged its feet; I do not know the outcome of the trial.

Carvajal is now seeking diplomatic immunity in Aruba.

July 25, 2014 By Fausta

Case study in “smart diplomacy”: Bolivia

My latest article, Case study in “smart diplomacy”: Bolivia, is up at Da Tech Guy Blog.

July 25, 2014 By Fausta

The latest from the O administration: Let’s make it easier for the Hondurans!

Now the Obama administration wants to get the Hondurans here directly, without going through Mexico:

Hoping to stem the recent surge of migrants at the Southwest border, the Obama administration is considering whether to allow hundreds of minors and young adults from Honduras into the United States without making the dangerous trek through Mexico, according to a draft of the proposal.

If approved, the plan would direct the government to screen thousands of children and youths in Honduras to see if they can enter the United States as refugees or on emergency humanitarian grounds.

By making the trip easier,

the plan aims to slow the rush of minors crossing into the United States illegally

Not being a member of the Obama administration, I fail to follow the logic.

Or, as Ace put it,

Obama wants to avoid the spectacle of just giving hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied minors amnesty at the US border.

Solution? Give hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied minors amnesty from the offices of the US Embassy in Honduras.

Sounds like a plan.

But wait! There’s more!

The proposal, prepared by several federal agencies, says the pilot program under consideration would cost up to $47 million over two years, assuming 5,000 applied and about 1,750 people were accepted. If successful, it would be adopted in Guatemala and El Salvador as well.

But wait! There’s more!

How many people are accepted is critical, because refugees qualify for public assistance upon arrival in the United States.

Allahpundit:

Minor footnote: Federal law doesn’t allow refugee status to be granted for fear of street gangs, only for fear of racial/religious/political persecution, but oh well. Legal details never stopped Obama before.

Speaking of fear of religious/political persecution, over in the Middle East . . .

July 24, 2014 By Fausta

Ecuador and the ‘straitjacket’

Many of you approaching retirement age may have read multiple public relations articles touting Ecuador as A Top Retire-Overseas Choice. Among the reasons listed,

— Ecuador uses the U.S. dollar meaning no exchange-rate risk for American retirees.

If that’s a reason for your relocation, don’t get packing yet: Rafael Correa has other plans,
Ecuador Weighs Escape From Dollar ‘Straitjacket’

Congress has until the end of today to vote on President Rafael Correa’s proposal to change the South American nation’s financial laws, which would allow payments in “electronic money.” Lawmakers are debating whether to insist the central bank back the new currency with a one-to-one dollar guarantee.

As a current-account deficit drains dollars from the economy, making it harder for Correa to fund a burgeoning budget gap, a new currency could be used to meet government payments, said Jaime Carrera, a former deputy finance minister and director of the Quito-based Fiscal Policy Observatory. It could also lose its value quickly if not backed by the central bank, he said.

You may recall, seven years ago

Rafael Correa said Ecuador’s economy will remain dollarized during his four-year mandate

Of course that was before he changed the constitution to allow for his “indefinite re-election.”

Much water under the bridge and many debts later,

Correa, who calls the South American country’s use of the greenback an economic “straitjacket,” has already started paying some pension obligations in government bonds, which brokers are refusing to redeem at face value.

Additionally, Correa wants to issue electronic money without explicit public guarantees.

I can’t wait for him to turn to bitcoin.

Too bad Putin didn’t include Correa in the upcoming BRICS bank.

UPDATE:
Linked to by Babalu. Thank you!

July 24, 2014 By Fausta

Venezuela: Lopez on trial, Tower of David evacuation

Leopoldo López‘s show trial has begun; while the defense has asked for an adjournment, we all know what the verdict will be: guilty.

Daniel Duquenal expands on this,

The first thing, oddly, is the timing. Since Lopez arrest 5 months ago and the alleged clear evidence one wonders why did it take so long for the regime to start the trial. Waiting for the end of guarimbas? A trial can restart them at any time. Waiting for folks to go on vacation? There are no flights out! Expecting for scarcity problems to soften? They are not and will not for the foreseeable future. The answer is elsewhere,with the PSUV congress about to open. Some red meat thrown to the radical wing. Period, IMHO.

Another thing to wonder comes by asking the reverse question: why bother trying Lopez anyway? International pressure plays a role here, but not necessarily the way you may think. Sure enough there has been plenty of publications, the Washington Post for one pushing up the subject of Lopez dismal jail conditions. But the real deal brokers may be the people trying to organize Venezuela’s financial rescue.

Without a doubt, this is a show trial: Daniel concludes his post,

In case you still do not get it, the trial starts with 138 “witnesses” for the prosecution and only 1, ONE, for the defense

In other Venezuelan news, the infamous Tower of David, Caracas’s high-rise to nowhere, is being evacuated. Caracas Chronicles says the Chinese are involved:

Thanks to Kepler, we can somehow confirm that our Chinese overlords are indeed taking the building. In this article from the website Archidead, looks like the Bank of China will turn “La Torre de David” as its South American HQ.

It’s going to be interesting to see what exactly the Chinese get from this, considering the ruinous state of Venezuela’s oil industry.

Maybe Homeland will do a follow-up episode on the “new”, Chinese, tower.