Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has died. COTTonLINE has from time to time commented on his negative view of the United States and its role in the hemisphere.
It is our policy at COTTonLINE to wish no man, or woman, ill. We never express the hope someone dies. And our condolences go out to President Chavez' family and supporters.
That said, new leadership in Venezuela may be a hopeful sign for the politics of Latin America. It may particularly help the small group of countries which followed the Chavez doctrine: Venezuela (of course), Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Bolivia and perhaps Argentina.
Throughout Latin America it is so much easier to blame the U.S. for problems instead of taking responsibility for one's own fate. Instead of looking in the mirror and asking "what could I be doing differently (and better)?"
