Is Chavez Cubas kingmaker?
JUST DAYS before Fidel Castro’s ailing health grabbed world headlines, the Cuban leader was Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s surprise guest at a South American summit in Argentina. The two leaders traveled to the boyhood home of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, the revolutionary icon. Chavez appeared moved by the visit. “For me,” he said, “it is truly an honor to be here, walking through history.” But Chavez has already joined Che where it counts most — on billboards in Havana, where the Cuban government lauds its heroes. Chavez is indeed a hero in Cuba, especially to its longtime leader. Over the last seven years, he has become Castro’s key economic benefactor and political partner. That relationship has stirred concern among U.S. policymakers that Chavez might meddle in the post-Castro transition.
