First Impressions

Caracas: Does Latin America look different after four years’ absence? Well, yes and no. The basic problems remain, but there are new lights and new shadows, the lights perhaps now more in evidence, the shadows not necessarily deepening. “Castroism” as a concrete force seems on the wane. Building is booming in Bogotá, where economic conditions are not so bright, whereas construction is not often seen in Lima, though Peru is rather prosperous.

Venezuela is better off but its troubles are not entirely over. The election of Señor Leoni to the Presidency was a triumph for the cause of liberty inasmuch as the Castro forces tried desperately by sheer terrorism to prevent the free elections — and failed. The terrorists are still at work in the outlying parts of the country but their drive is slackening. The economic slump is over, and people are less disposed to put up with them as another unbridled wave of prosperity looms. Building in Caracas—now a city of almost a million and a half—is picking up again at a terrific pace and the metropolis which gave birth to Simón Bolivar -looks more and more like a New York set down in a subtropic ambiance. Yet this sight, in turn, highlights two other problems: the radical distinction between urban and rural life and the problem of the gringo.

EK

About the Author

Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn

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Caracas: Does Latin America look different after four years’ absence? Well, yes and no. The basic problems remain, but there are new lights and new shadows, the lights perhaps now more in evidence, the shadows not necessarily deepening. “Castroism” as a concrete force seems on the wane. Building is booming in Bogotá, where economic conditions are not so bright, whereas construction is not often seen in Lima, though Peru is rather prosperous.

Venezuela is better off but its troubles are not entirely over. The election of Señor Leoni to the Presidency was a triumph for the cause of liberty inasmuch as the Castro forces tried desperately by sheer terrorism to prevent the free elections — and failed. The terrorists are still at work in the outlying parts of the country but their drive is slackening. The economic slump is over, and people are less disposed to put up with them as another unbridled wave of prosperity looms. Building in Caracas—now a city of almost a million and a half—is picking up again at a terrific pace and the metropolis which gave birth to Simón Bolivar -looks more and more like a New York set down in a subtropic ambiance. Yet this sight, in turn, highlights two other problems: the radical distinction between urban and rural life and the problem of the gringo.