A nailbiter in New York
Venezuela and Guatemala are locked in a tight race for the Latin American seat on the UN Security Council. In the seventh round of voting, Guatemala secured 96 votes to Venezuela's 89. Both are far from the 125 votes need for election, and it appears increasingly likely that a compromise candidate will emerge. Venezuela, of course, is ...
Venezuela and Guatemala are locked in a tight race for the Latin American seat on the UN Security Council. In the seventh round of voting, Guatemala secured 96 votes to Venezuela's 89. Both are far from the 125 votes need for election, and it appears increasingly likely that a compromise candidate will emerge. Venezuela, of course, is spinning the vote as a referendum on the United States. "We are not competing with a brother country," proclaimed the country's UN ambassador. "We are competing with the biggest power on the planet." Indeed, Chavez has turned his Security Council bid into a crusade, complete with state visits and lavish spending. But his sulfuric UN speech seems to have hurt his cause. Expect his domestic opponents to jump all over him if the costly campaign fails.
Venezuela and Guatemala are locked in a tight race for the Latin American seat on the UN Security Council. In the seventh round of voting, Guatemala secured 96 votes to Venezuela's 89. Both are far from the 125 votes need for election, and it appears increasingly likely that a compromise candidate will emerge. Venezuela, of course, is spinning the vote as a referendum on the United States. "We are not competing with a brother country," proclaimed the country's UN ambassador. "We are competing with the biggest power on the planet." Indeed, Chavez has turned his Security Council bid into a crusade, complete with state visits and lavish spending. But his sulfuric UN speech seems to have hurt his cause. Expect his domestic opponents to jump all over him if the costly campaign fails.
David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist
More from Foreign Policy
Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America
The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.
The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense
If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.
Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War
Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.
How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests
And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.
Sign up for Morning Brief
Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter with what’s coming up around the world today. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
