[Marxism] Notes from the Southern Cone

[Dbachmozart@xxxxxxx]

clip - 
Dragon vs the Monroe Doctrine? According to April  Howard of Upside Down 
World, it appears that when the 10-year agreement between  Ecuador and the U.S. 
that allows Southern Command to use the Manta port and air  base in Colombia 
runs out in 2009, the Chinese are going to move in. 
The Manta base, which hosts 475 U.S. military  personnel and hundreds of 
private mercenaries, has come under fire for violating  its original agreement 
to 
interdict drugs. Critics charge that the base is also  used to monitor-and on 
occasion attack-anti-government insurgents in  Colombia. 
During his election campaign, Ecuador's leftist  President Rafael Correa said 
he would only agree to allow the U.S. to use the  base if the U.S. 
reciprocated by giving Ecuador a base in Florida. When his  request was turned 
down, 
Correa offered the base to Terminals del Ecuador, which  is owned by Hong 
Kong-based Hutchison Port Holdings. 
The South America Regional Infrastructure  Initiative plans to build either a 
highway or a rail line from Manta to the city  of Manaus in Brazil. The link 
would create a direct line for China with Ecuador  and Brazil. 
Manta is the closest port to Asia on South  America's west coast. 
As Sanho Tree of the Institute for Policy Study  points out, there is 
considerable historical irony in the Chinese move. Back in  1900, the U.S. 
pushed an 
"Open Door Policy" in order to get access to China's  markets. It appears 
turnabout is fair play, Monroe Doctrine be  damned. 
full - _http://counterpunch.org/hallinan03012008.html_ 
(http://counterpunch.org/hallinan03012008.html) 



**************It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money & 
Finance.      (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf00030000000001)
________________________________________________
YOU MUST clip all extraneous text before replying to a message.
Send list submissions to: Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism