We're All Devo!
One of the current fracases facing Argentina is, well, wee little Uruguay. First, the lil' neighbor may or may not be negotiating a free-trade agreement with the U.S. outside of the umbrella of Mercosur (which may or may not be bad according to Pres. K). More importantly, Uruguay wants to build two paper plants just across the river from Argentina, which makes no one happy (on the Argentinean side) because of paper plants' renowned pollution, stink, etc. They naaaasty... that's the general feeling.
For a while now, Argentines from the affected areas as well as sundry other people who hanker to get a good civil disobediance on have been blocking local bridges to Uruguay, which has been an effective move in the sense that it's hurting tourism to Punta and in general pissing Uruguay off. Recently, however, the whole thing got kicked up a notch when Greenpeace got involved in blocking the trucks going over the bridges. It's not their role as an international environmental group that really swanks the thing up (though that's nice--don't get us wrong) but rather the fact they bring a little needed international style to a protest that's been wanting in that regard. I mean, seriously, look at them. The retro cut, the clean lines...that's so ironic it's double secret post-ironic. Either they're reenacting a 1950s auto-safety film strip or, well, a 1983 Devo album cover. Love the red, guys. Very top top.
posted by Ian @ 4:02 PM
2 comments
links to this post
2 Comments:
The chance that Uruguay is taking in stepping out on their own so fits with their view of Mercosur. If you've ever been to downtown Montevideo, the building that houses Mercosur headquarters is the front half of the building that houses the local casino in the back half... there's something ironically appropriate about the gambling going on "behind the scenes" or at least, behind the walls...
And I suppose Argentina's general view that the plants are "naaaasty" has got nothing to do with the fact that the plants didn't want to set up in Argentina (which ironcially already has 5 plants operating with much more dated & polluting technology)?
Actually, independent international reports suggest the plants will operate under the newest possible technology and won't be polluting. A fact most Argentineans and environmentalists seem to think it is more conventient to ignore.
Maybe if Argentinians hadn't wildly celebrated the fact that they were defaulting on foreign debt, then foreign companies would be more interested in investing there. But plain and simple, it can't be trusted.
I think environmentalists concerns are genuine, but frankly if we listened to them every time we'd be living in caves. And the Argentinean governments collusion with activists betrays the low regard they have for the responsibility placed on them. I'm all for controls on pollution, but the current Argentinean position is just contractiction of anything Uruguay says or does.
And as for the "gambling" metaphor on the previous post, if Argentina had ever taken it's economic responsibilities properly (i.e. not cheat & steal at every opportunity), then it wouldn't have gone down the pan, dragging Uruguay (always viewed as economically responsible) down with it.
Bring on the plants, bring on the free trade agreement with the U.S., and bring on more indepedence from Argentina, which has for years viewed Uruguay as one of it's provinces. Not any more...
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home