Reply #5: Anyone with half a brain and a bit of knowledge of LatAm history

[Say_What]

would agree with Chavez. What Menem said is exactly what the 'opposition' in Allende's Chile said about Allende. In Allende's speech to the UN less than a year before his assassination, said the following:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

...THE FINANCIAL BLOCKADE

That is why it is even more painful to have to come here to this
rostrum to proclaim the fact that my country is the victim of grave
aggression.

We had foreseen problems and foreign resistance to our carrying out
our process of changes, especially in view of our nationalization of
natural resources. Imperialism and its cruelty have a long and ominous
history in Latin America and the dramatic and heroic experience of
Cuba is still fresh. The same is the case with Peru, which has had to
suffer the consequences of its decision to exercise sovereign control
over its oil.

...From the very moment of our election victory on 4 September 1970, we
were affected by the development of large-scale foreign pressures,
aimed at blocking the inauguration of a government freely elected by
the people and then overthrowing it. There have been efforts to isolate
us from the world, strangle the economy and paralyze the sale of copper,
our main export product, and keep us from access to sources of
international financing.


http://www.rrojasdatabank.org/foh12.htm