I have never been a big fan of the term "evil" used to describe certain elements in global politics, for it seems so asinine. It's like hearing a child cry "he stole my pencil, he's evil"! At first thought, substituting "evil" with "deranged" might seem equally juvenile, but given the original meaning of the word deranged (to throw into disorder; disarrange), it is rather fitting. If you think about it, throwing into disorder is exactly what Chavez and Ahmadinejad are doing (while the sanity of some of their statements can be put to question as well). The two are without doubt intelligent people, but there have been enough wacky events involving the two characters to allow for the term deranged to be used.
The latest on the two is that Chavez has just won another 6 years in office, while Ahmadinejad and co. continue to laugh in the face of the world. How long Ahmadinejad will be around for depends on the Mullahs (or on an Iranian revolution or international conflict for that matter), but how long Chavez will be in power might come to depend on a new proposal that seeks to allow indefinite reelection of the president of the republic. Chavez has repeatedly stressed that in order for the revolution to succeed, there must be continuity of government and policy, meaning the step of allowing indefinite reelection could be just a prelude to Dictatorship. Since winning the first election back in 1998, Chavez has increasingly dominated all branches of government and his allies now control congress, state offices and the judiciary.
Chavez has also spooked the international investor community by calling for the constitution to be changed to allow the government to take control of the natural gas industry from foreign companies. He has already pledged to increase state control over four key oil production projects in the Orinoco Belt, which are currently operated by firms such as U.S. Exxon Mobil and Chevron, Total of France, and British Petroleum. Besides these four heavy crude upgrading projects, plans were also announced for the state to take control of the country's largest telecommunications company, and its electricity and natural gas sectors.
On a global level, Chavez has become 'best buddies' with a man who calls for a UN member state to be "wiped off the map" and flat out denies the occurrence of one of human's worst tragedies; the Holocaust. Both men are deeply religious, though only recently has Chavez been increasingly alluding to Jesus Christ, whom he called "the greatest socialist of all." Indeed, the two have much in common and were both graciously offered the platform at last years UN General Assembly, where they were welcomed with rapturous applause by an audience that apparently appreciates the use of the word "devil" as a form of name calling.
Ahmadinejad is currently in Caracas, which is his second visit to Venezuela in less than four months. The two have pledged to strengthen their anti-US alliance and have promised to invest in countries "whose governments are making efforts to liberate themselves from the imperialist yoke." The funds will come from a joint USD 2 billion fund intended to finance investments in Venezuela and Iran, but the two leaders announced Saturday (January 13) that the money would also be used for aiding friendly countries (which means countries hostile to the US). During Ahmadinejad's visit to Caracas last September, the two already agreed to establish a joint petrochemical and steel company and a shared firm for the exploration of petroleum. There have also been heavy rumours that Iran had secured Venezuela's uranium for Tehran's nuclear program, but this has been denied by both sides.
After Venezuela, Ahmadinejad will visit newly elected leftist governments in Nicaragua (Daniel Ortega) and Ecuador (Rafael Correa). While in Ecuador, he will also meet with Bolivian President Evo Morales. All three countries fall under the category "friendly" and are likely to be courted by Chavez and Ahmadinejad into joining an anti-US alliance, while being the most likely recipients of Iranian/Venezuelan aid. Other prominent figures that have been conniving with either Chavez or Ahmadinejad include unsavory types such as Libyan President Moammar Gaddafi and Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko.
The Axis of the Deranged currently consists of two members, but these happen to be very big talkers with the potential to strike hard. They say dogs that bark don't bite. This may be true, but these dogs don't have to bite, as they (especially Ahmadinejad) are masters at finding others to do the biting for them (notably Hezbollah, and more recently it seems Hamas is willing to take orders from Tehran as well). Ignore these puppet masters at your own peril, for they really will throw the world into disorder.
The latest on the two is that Chavez has just won another 6 years in office, while Ahmadinejad and co. continue to laugh in the face of the world. How long Ahmadinejad will be around for depends on the Mullahs (or on an Iranian revolution or international conflict for that matter), but how long Chavez will be in power might come to depend on a new proposal that seeks to allow indefinite reelection of the president of the republic. Chavez has repeatedly stressed that in order for the revolution to succeed, there must be continuity of government and policy, meaning the step of allowing indefinite reelection could be just a prelude to Dictatorship. Since winning the first election back in 1998, Chavez has increasingly dominated all branches of government and his allies now control congress, state offices and the judiciary.
Chavez has also spooked the international investor community by calling for the constitution to be changed to allow the government to take control of the natural gas industry from foreign companies. He has already pledged to increase state control over four key oil production projects in the Orinoco Belt, which are currently operated by firms such as U.S. Exxon Mobil and Chevron, Total of France, and British Petroleum. Besides these four heavy crude upgrading projects, plans were also announced for the state to take control of the country's largest telecommunications company, and its electricity and natural gas sectors.
On a global level, Chavez has become 'best buddies' with a man who calls for a UN member state to be "wiped off the map" and flat out denies the occurrence of one of human's worst tragedies; the Holocaust. Both men are deeply religious, though only recently has Chavez been increasingly alluding to Jesus Christ, whom he called "the greatest socialist of all." Indeed, the two have much in common and were both graciously offered the platform at last years UN General Assembly, where they were welcomed with rapturous applause by an audience that apparently appreciates the use of the word "devil" as a form of name calling.
Ahmadinejad is currently in Caracas, which is his second visit to Venezuela in less than four months. The two have pledged to strengthen their anti-US alliance and have promised to invest in countries "whose governments are making efforts to liberate themselves from the imperialist yoke." The funds will come from a joint USD 2 billion fund intended to finance investments in Venezuela and Iran, but the two leaders announced Saturday (January 13) that the money would also be used for aiding friendly countries (which means countries hostile to the US). During Ahmadinejad's visit to Caracas last September, the two already agreed to establish a joint petrochemical and steel company and a shared firm for the exploration of petroleum. There have also been heavy rumours that Iran had secured Venezuela's uranium for Tehran's nuclear program, but this has been denied by both sides.
After Venezuela, Ahmadinejad will visit newly elected leftist governments in Nicaragua (Daniel Ortega) and Ecuador (Rafael Correa). While in Ecuador, he will also meet with Bolivian President Evo Morales. All three countries fall under the category "friendly" and are likely to be courted by Chavez and Ahmadinejad into joining an anti-US alliance, while being the most likely recipients of Iranian/Venezuelan aid. Other prominent figures that have been conniving with either Chavez or Ahmadinejad include unsavory types such as Libyan President Moammar Gaddafi and Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko.
The Axis of the Deranged currently consists of two members, but these happen to be very big talkers with the potential to strike hard. They say dogs that bark don't bite. This may be true, but these dogs don't have to bite, as they (especially Ahmadinejad) are masters at finding others to do the biting for them (notably Hezbollah, and more recently it seems Hamas is willing to take orders from Tehran as well). Ignore these puppet masters at your own peril, for they really will throw the world into disorder.
7 comments:
Great post! More daring and fun to read than many other articles on this subject. Keep up the good work!
I really like the term AXIS OF THE DERANGED.
I concur with the points raised- Ahmadinejad & Chavez are powerful not because of their oil reserves but because they have followers(or supporters) that are willing to cause havoc (directly or indirectly) on their behalf
Thanks for your very entertaining text.It is really fun reading it but at the same time it is a bit one sided analysis of the facts. Yes, these two chums certainly want to change the world order. But in order to have a complete picture, one must ask why. And one must ask why others would want to join them. Only by knowing the answers can the world avoid being deranged.
There are a number of different viewpoints regarding why characters like Chavez and Ahmadinejad are so easily able to attract followers, but I would like to ask your opinion on the matter. What, according to you, is the answer that might prevent the world from becoming/being deranged?
Good question, however if I knew the answer I would not state the question....
Perhaps the world is just a regular physical system that continuously strives to increase its entropy (derangement) and there is nothing one can do about it.
But perhaps small adjustments can be done to slow the process. Probably the Western world operates from a paradigm that does not reflect correctly the way countries that are potential candidates for the axis of derangement operate. So far the west could not find the correct reaction to the phenomenon.
We really need to think of some means to prevent the potential countries from joining the axis. Preaching and dictating to them the ‘right’ manner of behaviour and threatening them by sanctions will probably not work. Just as with children, it will make them rebellious. Perhaps economical involvement from the type China is busy doing in Africa is a good direction. We need to respect their ways and understanding their values help them to reach that level of satisfaction that will make them to turn down any offer of becoming deranged.
I follow your argument and agree that dictating word for word is not the way to go about creating peaceful and friendly advancement of nations. However, it is very hard, if not impossible, to stop someone from becoming deranged. Most probably it is a path of destiny. Given an uneducated population prone to idolization, such a character can maneuver himself into power and make a large enough portion of the masses follow his every word (history and present provide enough such examples).
Therefore, all we can do is help the countries develop to the extent that they won't accept such a deranged, polarizing figure. This takes a lot of time and should be done without slapping them on the fingers when they try something slightly different than we suggested. High growth Asian nations are the perfect role models for developing countries, as they managed by mixing Western theory with their own unique methods. Indeed, China's endeavors in Africa provide the perfect opportunity for African nations to do just that. But until time allows for all this, we are still stuck with the Chavezes and the Ahmadinejads of this world.
You should probably stick to economics, where you're sounder. Chavez is nothing like deranged and not comparable with Ahmedinajad. Of course the "international investment community" don't like him. They prefer ripping off the locals without hindrance.
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