The king and I

It is not often that I find myself glad several European countries have monarchs, but this week the monarchy system proved itself worthy. In an act of diplomacy that only a monarch could provide, King Juan Carlos, the symbolic head of the Spanish state, told Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to – and I quote – “Shut up.”\nThis might not sound like a big deal, but consider this: Even Dick Cheney has never said something so strong against the Venezuelan President. If that doesn’t say something, I do not know what does. \nHugo Chavez, for those unfamiliar with him, is the very vocal, socialist president of Venezuela. During a recent international summit, Chavez referred to Jose Maria Aznar, the former prime minister of Spain, as a “fascist.” Continuing to speak, Chavez monopolized the conversation, forcing the Spanish king to ask him to “shut up.” \nNow did Chavez deserve the scolding? Yes, if only to give him a taste of his own rude statesmanship. But to his credit, Chavez has led many successful anti-poverty campaigns in his country. He has also helped to initiate noteworthy literacy programs and has increased social investment.\nYet, despite what can fairly be described as heartfelt sympathy for the poor, Chavez does not appear to have the same sympathy for freedom of speech. He threatened to shut down all private schools that do not agree with his ideology, and even went so far as to shut down Venezuela’s most popular TV station, despite massive protests from Venezuelans of all stripes. As was illustrated by the previous “fascist” comment, Chavez has the poisonous tendency to demonize people in his country and around the world with political views that differ from his own. He has referred to President Bush as the “devil” and Condoleeza Rice as a “little girl.” \nHis foreign policy also reads like a bad joke. He brags about his alliance with Iran and North Korea, stating that they form an alliance against “U.S. imperialism.” He even called Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe – one of the most inept leaders and worst human rights violators of our time – a “freedom fighter.” \nChavez’s obsession with combating U.S. hegemony and allying with tyrannical regimes is, at the very least, unhealthy and hardly helps the poor of his country. In fact, it seems the more power he obtains, the less concerned he is with his original mission. \nSo what is Chavez concerned with besides rallying against the U.S. and its allies? Well, for one, it is what all political leaders do: try to remain in power. The only difference is that Chavez appears to do it by manipulating election results, consolidating power and intimidating political opponents.\nWhen the king of Spain told Chavez to “shut up,” he was not only speaking for many of Chavez’s critics all over the world, but also for those in Venezuela who feel their voices are not being heard.