Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, arriving in this South American capital Tuesday, said countries in the region should help strengthen democracy in Bolivia and suggested that governments in Cuba and Venezuela have been involved in Bolivia in “unhelpful ways.”
Rumsfeld’s brief trip is aimed at reinforcing ties with regional democracies as they fight political instability, terrorism and drug trafficking, defense officials said. Rumsfeld will also visit Peru.
Increasing political problems in Bolivia, which borders Paraguay to the northwest, have been fostered by Cuban and Venezuelan authorities, U.S. officials contend.
U.S. officials said the challenge is to steer Bolivia toward a democratic outcome while encouraging South American neighbors to work together. Peasant groups, urban activists and socialist parties have staged repeated protests in Bolivia, a deeply impoverished country.
More: washingtonpost.com
Related Travel Information
LIMA, Peru --Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, seeking to promote stability in Latin America, met with Alejandro Toledo on Thursday just two days after the Peruvian president swore in a fresh Cabinet.
"We recognize and respect the leadership role that you have taken in this country politically and from an economic standpoint as well as a security standpoint," Rumsfeld told Toledo.
The Peruvian president, who is facing low approval ratings and allegations of corruption in his government, was forced to ask 16 of his Cabinet ministers to step down last week. Under Peru's constitution, Toledo had to take such action after Prime
Irans Voices Not So Different From Americas
Ritual chants of Death to America, in Tehran and the defiance of President Ahmadinejad at the U.N. this past week are the Iranian voices heard most often around the world.
But when ABCs Jim Sciutto traveled to Iran recently, he found more common ground among the people.
He met a mother shopping with her daughters.
Why should we be enemies? said Fatima, referring to Iran and the U.S. The new generation is for peace. Theyre not for war.
More : abcnews.go.com
Planting the Seeds of Democracy in the Middle East
Strident debate seems to rage today about freedom versus democracy. Some seem to think America should be striving for freedom in the Middle East, especially Iraq, rather than trying to establish democracies.
To me, freedom is simply the result one can gain from a Democracy or a Republic. There has never been much freedom granted under any other type of government.
If we fight against a democracy for any country, we also deny it any opportunity to gain freedom in the future. Without a democracy of some type, only tyranny in the
This is "really quite a dramatic moment in the history of the Middle East", Condoleezza Rice, US secretary of state, told the New York Times earlier this week. And indeed it is.
This week, Israel abandoned its Gaza settlements. By Monday, the Iraqi parliament is supposed to agree on a new constitution. And next month, autocratic Egypt is supposedly holding a contested presidential election.
These are all steps in the right direction. But everything depends on the steps that follow - and whether the US, to use President George W. Bush's phrase, can "stay the course" in what will be a bumpy
Dell eyes Latin America to expand market share
Dell sales outside the United States -- predominantely Latin America -- rose 33 percent. That's prompted Dell to put more emphasis on international growth.
Wall Street may be cool to the latest sales forecasts from Dell, the world's largest computer maker, but its Latin-American performance has been sizzling -- especially compared to more tepid growth in the United States.
''There's always pressure in the corporate world,'' said Terry Kahler, vice president of Latin America at Dell. ``But we had really a stellar year last year.''
Kahler -- who works out of Dell's headquarters in Round Rock,
