Latin American -- Live Blog IV Posted by Michael Signer

After a lunch that truly transcended the rubber-chicken fare to which we itinerant political hacks become accustomed (yes, there was asparagus salad, and sea bass served with a little wrapped up lemon, and, yes, a sort of custard thing with brandy-soaked fruit in the bottom -- and wine that didn't come from a box!), we're now ready for our lunchtime address by Jose Miguel Insulza, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States.

Interestingly, Insulza's comments largely concentrate on rehabilitating the very concept of government.  He notes that Reagan -- a "great philosopher" -- said that the state is part of the problem rather than part of the solution (hypocritically, given that the federal government grew on his watch).  Latin American countries took the Reagan idea naively, assuming that with the dismissal of state-based solutions, the redistribution of wealth would follow.  And it didn't.

He explains that 80% of Latin American said they wanted democracy, but in another question, 50% said they'd go without it if their conditions were improved.  The gravamen, I take from his remarks, is that conditions have to be improved, which happens through government and collective action -- emphasizing only the classically liberal aspects of democracy -- individual freedom from government -- only ultimately undermines democracy (by making people less happy with their lives).

In other words, you can't dismember government when there's no foundation underneath to support the rule of law and the provision of benefits.  He argues that Hugo Chavez arose because government itself was falling apart.  "I was there when Hugo Chavez took power for the first time," he explained.  "The Venezuelan Crisis was convincing -- social, moral, economic, and political crisis in Venezuela.  Chavez said, 'Gentlemen, I am not the cause -- I am the consequence.'"

This is particularly striking coming from Insulza, a lawyer and former academic who is well-nigh the apotheosis of your calm, pipe-smoking sort of guy.  You expect anyone who says a positive word about Chavez to have to speak through the froth on his lips, but Insulza belies all that.  Take him seriously, he's saying -- again, the Chavez phenomenon speaks to the need to strengthen these societies themselves.

In closing, he says that jobs and crime are the two major problems across Latin America, and robust central governments could help with both.   The truth is that the civil societies and constitutional structures are just not strong enough to support economic growth and the rule of law on their own.  "The myth of the 80's that we have to fix is that the smaller the government, the better."  He's saying that it's not true that size of government and corruption are positively correlated.  A strong government inhibits corruption, and builds society up for democracy.

Ironically, democracy follows strong government -- not vice versa (as, perhaps, the neocons would like to believe).

All very interesting...

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