Colombia's ambassador to Lima, a certain Álvaro Pava (his last name translates as 'kettle' as a bit of trivia) today gushed gushingly in the direction of his host country. In this report we have him saying the following, neatly mixing the typical über-condescending tone of the LatAm criollo (they think they're) elite with over-the-top superlatives. "Without doubt I believe that in the region there is no better ally than Peru for Colombia and I also consider that there is no better ally than Colombia for Peru. We have absolutely exceptional binational relationships that are nothing more than the reflection of the good relationship enjoyed between presidents Alan García and Álvaro Uribe."And you gotta agree, there's a lot of common ground between Peru and Colombia version 21st century, so the love affair is understandable. Let's see now...........
- World's two largest producers of cocaine? Check
- Extrajudicial killings by armed forces? Check
- Constant threat to Human Rights organizations? Check
- False optimism about economies recently laid bare? Check
- Selling out large tracts of land to oil companies against wishes of indigenous populations? Check
- Demagogue presidents? Check
In fact, thinking hard about it all the only difference I can see is that Uribe is actually popular in his country. Angus Reid monitor has his most recent approval rating at 71%...but that's Colombia for you, who am I to judge? Meanwhile, Twobreakfasts scores a mighty 21%, the worst rating in the Americas. The Economist uses the adjective "dismal" about Twobreakfasts in this article out today...I agree.