Venezuela Criticizes DEA as ‘New Cartel’
May 8th, 2007I don’t know about new…
Via: Yahoo / AP:
Venezuela on Monday said it will not allow U.S. agents to carry out counter-drug operations in the country, accusing the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration of being a “new cartel” that aids traffickers.
Justice Minister Pedro Carreno said the South American nation suspended cooperation with the agency in 2005 after determining that “they were moving a large amount of drugs.” President Hugo Chavez at the time also accused the DEA of spying.
“The United States with its DEA monopolizes the shipping of drugs like a cartel,” Carreno told reporters. “We determined that we were evidently in the presence of a new cartel.” He did not elaborate.
Posted in Covert Operations | Top Of Page
Not exactly related, but check this out;
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20070501faessay86308/benn-steil/the-end-of-national-currency.html
This is something many of us have speculated about for years. The evidence is mounting that this is the case. See http://www.copvcia.com/
@ Jackanapes
Incredible. Thanks for that. I don’t see that as off topic at all. That piece warrants a separate post. Wow…
Per your Foreign Affairs article.
Currencies are sometimes used like a weapon in Low Intensity Conflicts. The U.S. pioneered that, or re-pioneered it by rooting around in the historical record.
Unfortunately, by doing this, it set a bad example. Now it probably is getting a taste of its own medicine. So perhaps it is trying to bail itself out?
I remember thinking about this possibility when reading about how China was hoarding U.S. assets; would the U.S. then say, “Why China, those are now worthless, too bad, so sad.”
China and the U.S./Europe are wedded. Could they divorce? Would that lead to a war? It doesn’t seem fair to renege on a deal like that, although the US and Europe have a history of breaking treaties. That would not really be wise to do with China, though.
It seems to me that a global currency might not be a per se bad idea, although to not be abused, its use would have to be carefully limited and regulated.
I do not see why you would have to abolish national currencies. It would hardly make sense.
I also do not see why you would have to abolish local currencies. Ever heard of “Ithaca Dollars?” Leave it an academic community to find a loophole that allows it to have a local currency.
All of these things have their place.
What about social currency?
People in rural areas know the value of staying friendly with their neighbors. Lives may depend on it. People in the suburbs are less conditioned for the use of social currency because they have been over-conditioned to use money to get what they want.
This leads to hilarious situations where people put their dogs in pet motels, rather than leave them with their next door neighbors, who they barely know.
I mean, think about that. People who live in affluent suburbs are supposed to be smart, yet they do stupid things like this because they have been conditioned to. I mean, they act directly against their own interest, that of their beloved pet’s, their neighbor’s interest [who might might want a favor later], and that of the common good.
I could enumerate a whole list of other pathologies, but that would be a waste of time.