Provocative Humanitarianism

Dave Lindorff:

What do you call a nation that provides medical aid to desperately poor people in Mexico, heating assistance to low-income families in the U.S., crucial project financing to some of the poorest countries in Africa, and aid to impoverished Caribbean island nations?

If you're the New York Times, you call it "provocative," and you call the leader of that country "the next Fidel Castro."

The implict disdain in the Times story in question is remarkable.

How dare Chavez do precisely what the US should be doing! How dare Chavez try to wean allies with this crass exhibition of "soft power"!

Doesn't he realize the way to typically amass power is by bombings, invasions, and subversion? He's so naive!