Bush, Chavez Share Low Approval in Latin America

March 9, 2007 — -- As President Bush visits Latin America this week to hammer out trade agreements and try to regain control in the hemisphere, he has at least one thing in common with his regional nemesis Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez: Both men have equally low approval ratings in Latin America.

There seems to be a misconception, especially in U.S. popular opinion, that all the anti-Bush rhetoric and rallies in the region means support for Venezuela's oil-rich leader. While Bush is far from loved in Latin America, Chavez is no better off in his own backyard.

Last fall's Latinobarometro, a survey published in the Economist that polled 20,000 respondents in 18 countries, found Bush and Chavez both rated negatively by many of those polled. An equal 39 percent of those polled disapproved of each of the leaders. Only Fidel Castro fared worse.

Certainly anti-U.S. sentiments in Latin America are nothing new. Today, the internationally unpopular war in Iraq plays a part, as does this administration's inattention to the region since Sept. 11.

Bush, the presidential candidate in 2000, spoke definitely about the need for a strong U.S. policy in Latin America. His actions not following his promises, his first foreign trip as president was to Mexico. But under his administration, the United States has been disengaged in its own hemisphere, forcing the region to carry on without the usual leader.

Chavez stepped in, but his aim of unifying Latin America has not worked. In many countries, his leadership has clashed with a strongly felt nationalism even within left-wing circles.

But unlike the United States, he has tried to engage Latin America. He has been savvy to use the most powerful tools at his disposal to influence the region: anti-American sentiment and his mighty petro-dollars.

Chavez is also charismatic and tapped into the feelings of millions of Latin American workers. Even if many of those same workers see him as disruptive, or the regional clown, they do find a grain of truth in his rants about U.S. trade deals and neo-liberalism, which have done little for their unemployment, poverty and social services. Crime and racism are other major concerns on the streets of Latin America. But Latin Americans are just as skeptical about Chavez as they are about Bush.