Abnormal Methods

Alvaro Uribe is wrong again when he says that the UNASUR summit is not an appropriate setting to explain his defense policy.

Why not? Not only is it the summit of neighboring countries advancing towards unity, but the two central themes are the military coup in Honduras and the presence of seven American military bases in Colombia. What is more, the Bolivian president will propose a resolution that Latin America not accept foreign military bases any longer.

One can assume what will happen by considering the positions of the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela. However, facing foreign press, Uribe preferred a tour without speeches. This is another one of his methods: remain silent or scold the journalists when they ask questions.

The regular method used to be to tell Congress and the American government. However, they, too, remained silent about other underlying issues, thereby exacerbating the situation.

No; Uribe does not like to use conventional methods. He demonstrated this by straying from his party to win the office, authorizing perks to Yidis and Teodolindos to remove obstacles to re-election and taking every possible shortcut to save his already hopeless referendum.

The country learned quickly and the perpetual war added unsanctioned paths like false positives, a doubtful policy of rewards, stabs at the opposition and the indiscriminate but inefficient purification efforts.

Such diplomatic irregularities have more than just a political cost. Today, millions of Colombians on the border, affected by the 13 percent decline in trade with Ecuador, pay out of pocket. Venezuela refuses to buy ten thousand vehicles from us. Ecuador is safeguarding more than 1,300 of our products. Amen to stigmatization.

Straying from normal methods of conduct plants a seed of de-institutionalization and undermines coexistence. This “it’s all worth it” is a bad example. Acting as if his absence in Quito is altogether different or that it is a question of dignity; my God!