Hailing Hamid and Hugo

Hugo Chavez and Hamid Karzai aren’t names I think about often, not like Roy Halladay and Bruce Springsteen. But the unlikely pair have found themselves in the fore of my mind in recent days, as they have made the covers of the daily papers for different reasons. Chavez lambasted Dubbya in his own country while Karzai was here in Canada lauding some very brave and heroic Canucks.

At the risk of sounding encyclopedic, let me tell you a little about these men and their recent exploits.

Chavez, the president of Venezuela, is an interesting case. This career military officer turned aggressive reformist leader made big waves at the United Nations meeting late last week when, in his U.N. address, he called George Bush the devil (El Diablo), saying he smelled like sulphur. **Bravo, many cheers heard ’round Canada!** It was ostensibly his way of announcing to anyone who doesn’t already know that he doesn’t care for current American foreign policy (and possibly any/all of previous U.S. foreign policies). Word is the U.S. lit the fire under his ass by allegedly trying to block his country from gaining a seat on the U.N. Security Council.

Three quick facts: Chavez, a career military officer turned aggressive reformist leader, has been president of Venezuela since 1999. He is controversial and has been called both a socialist liberator and authoritarian demagogue. He’s also been named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people (2006).

Despite the fact that a host of Bush critics have rebuked his recent remarks and even Bill Clinton has come out to denounce them, I am a new fan of the man. I certainly don’t buy into the notion that he has, as many (even some renowned Bush bashers) are suggesting, overstepped the bounds of decency and decorum and disgraced his country on the international stage. Bush has done that a thousand times over already without calling anyone a bad name. Sorry Bill, we disagree this once. Chavez spoke an increasingly universal truth.

Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, has been known to the world since after the 9/11 attacks and the ensuing allied invasion of his country. He is noticeable because he wears a really cool looking traditional chapan, or Uzbek coat, at official functions. He also appears remarkably Western, not a coincidence since he spent most of the 1980s in the U.S. (wonder if he had a Flock of Seagulls haircut?) and is very comfortable with digital media. These things (and others, keep reading...) helped make him a perfect choice to be the leader of the new Afghanistan.

It’s a job he certainly is dedicated to. The Taliban assassinated his father in 1999, perhaps because the elder Karzai didn’t appreciate their caveman he-man woman-hater ways. The son vowed revenge against the Taliban and presumably doesn’t mind their mounting death toll. Interestingly, he actually supported them at one time, long ago, because he simply believed they were from the same Pashtun tribe as him.

I watched as Karzai spoke in Ottawa and thanked Canadians for their generous support of his homeland, and I listened as he worked so hard to convince us that our soldiers’ presence is dearly needed in his country. He seemed so earnest as he told us our men and women are not dying in vain as they try to kill as many Taliban fighters as possible. To date, 36 Canuck military personnel – 35 soldiers and one peacekeeper – have been killed in Afghanistan, endeavouring to help the many good people there build some semblance of a democratic base –- a truly gargantuan undertaking.

I like Karzai and I understand that he needs all the assistance he can get. His country is relying on some 70 donor nations, the United Nations and NATO allies for sustenance, military might, peacekeeping, food, moral support… He’s up against terrorism (he claims Afghanistan is the biggest victim of terrorism), the Afghan poppy trade that its operators won’t relinquish without a fight to the death, and the fact many people still consider his nation a backwoods far away place full of terrorists in hiding.

While I like the man and salute his devotion to his homeland, my heart also goes out to our dearly departed soldiers. It seems Karzai will get the full support of our government – which is what he came here for – meaning our military presence in Afghanistan will go on for an indefinite period. Meanwhile we pray to God daily that our men and women all come home safely.

At the same time, we must also remember that Karzai’s people, countless numbers of innocent Afghanis, have fought, died, watched their loved ones die, suffered and agonized as their land and its population have undergone an almost impossible transformation in the matter of just five years. And this is on the heels of years of spirit-killing Taliban rule. Karzai speaks for them and he speaks very well.