AUGUST 2004

OMINOUS UPDATE
President Lagos, Chile’s Tony Blair, Visits Washington.2004.

• Chilean President Ricardo Lagos’ foreign and domestic policy is rapidly gaining his country a reputation as Washington’s lap dog.

Chilean President Ricardo Lagos came to the White House yesterday to meet President Bush and discuss “democracy and trade relations in the Western Hemisphere as well as expanding economic opportunity in the region.”  After this meeting Lagos convened with key U.S.foreign policy officials, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick.His high level Washington meetings reflect the extremely close ties that Santiago enjoys with the conservative U.S. administration.  Since taking office in 2000, Lagos has worked tirelessly to strengthen links between the ultra-conservative Bush administration and socialist Chile, identifying himself with U.S. geopolitical interests, while ignoring the many voices within Chile that have opposed his concessionary strategy