Anti-American Sentiment Increases in South America
This month's Summit of the Americas highlighted the change in attitude toward the United States.
by Fred Nance
I just returned from a trip to Argentina where my wife and I spent a week and a half visiting her family. I first met her at the resort town of Mar Del Plata in September 1990. Interestingly it is the same town where the Summit of the Americas was held on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4 and 5. The summit had the aim of attacking poverty and increasing jobs throughout the Americas.
But there was a big difference between this trip to Argentina and the one that I made in 1990. Never have I seen so much anti-Americanism as I saw this month. Fifteen years ago I felt a certain degree of respect here as an American. That has changed dramatically.
As I walked around the town of Tandil, my wife's hometown, I saw numerous banners and signs that said: "Afuera Bush," which means, "Go away Bush." Even private comments that I received about the United States made me feel a bit uncomfortable.
The countersummit
The local television news seemed to fuel the sentiment even further. They focused more on the countersummit or "people's summit," as it was called, than on coverage of the international summit where 34 heads of state had gathered to discuss the future of the Americas. The protests from various left-leaning groups and the ensuing riots stole the show from what was actually happening at the real summit.
The people's antisummit was attended by Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela, who has become Washington's most vociferous critic. He promised to bury the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas, a treaty that would create a free trade zone from Canada to Argentina, and he openly criticized the American president.
According to an article in the Buenos Aires Herald, Hugo Chavez is attempting to increase his influence in the Western Hemisphere while trying to stir up anti-American sentiment. "The war of words between Bush and Chavez over trade and development will take center stage at the summit, but Chavez also aims to be the victor on the streets" (Nov. 4, 2005).
