Peña and his wicked swagger

Paraguay, December 25. - And this swagger encompasses the worst you can imagine, starting with the fact that he was the first Latin American president to accompany La Sayona, María Corina Machado, at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. If we think about it, she deserves the award because the prize has long lost its noble meaning and now praises unjust causes.

Santiago Peña, an individual who steals from the coffers of his country, Paraguay, with impunity and without any obstacles, took the opportunity to vacation with his wife. In one way or another, invoking the name of the honoree, so did the presidents of Argentina, Javier Milei; Ecuador, Daniel Noboa; and Panama, José Raúl Mulino.

The participation of Latin American leaders in the ceremony has been criticized by Venezuela's ruling United Socialist Party, whose secretary general, Diosdado Cabello, said that "these presidents are lazy, vagabonds, as if they had nothing to do in their countries (...), they are freeloaders who do not miss an opportunity to travel anywhere."

Always in a spotlight-seeking attitude, the Paraguayan president stated that "the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to María Corina Machado, a genuine representative of the opposition to Nicolás Maduro's regime, represents the world's recognition of her courage and sacrifice for the freedom of our sister nation Venezuela. This act keeps hope alive. From the Government of Paraguay, we reaffirm that freedom and democracy are non-negotiable and that the Venezuelan people are not alone on this path," he said unfazed.

Thus, Peña revives despicable laurels, like when he received the Gesher Award from the American Jewish Committee for positioning his country as one of Israel's staunchest allies. He did this by embracing the idea that the main issue to consider is Israel's right to defense and that threats are related to the anti-Semitism suffered by Jews centuries ago.

The president of Paraguay did not take into account what is happening in the occupied territories in the West Bank and Gaza.

Today, the term "Greater Israel" is already a concrete and developing project, encouraged by the Israeli right, from Likud to Religious Zionism and Jewish Power, led by Itamar Ben Gvir. This project has settled in the occupied territories, now claimed as Judea and Samaria by settlers. An apartheid system has developed there, with territorial segregation, expansion of settlements, and forced displacements. With legal differences: Israeli settlers are subject to Israeli civil law, while Palestinians live under military statutes.

Nor did President Peña mention how that "defense" of Israel has transformed. From a disproportionate military response to a violation of humanitarian law, and now genocide, with crimes against humanity. He draws a parallel between the Jewish people and Paraguayans, comparing the Holocaust and attacks on Israel with the War of the Triple Alliance that devastated Paraguay in the 19th century. Could it be that a more current parallel could be drawn with the bombings and deaths of Palestinian children and women in Gaza? Why choose one and not the other?

He does not want to acknowledge that the current issue is not the condemnation of anti-Semitism. Prominent figures from the Jewish diaspora and political leaders from Israel itself are openly stating this. The country is being guided by extreme nationalist Zionism, which dreams of expelling approximately six million Palestinians from their territories.

Indeed, as the well-known international relations scholar John Mearsheimer (a realist not prone to sentimentalism or ethical positioning) states, Israel is in serious trouble.

It has refused to reconsider the two-state solution, imposed apartheid in the occupied territories, and its Greater Israel project is ultimately based on ethnic cleansing.

The signing of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the United States and Paraguay on Monday, December 15, is part of a broader strategy by Washington to reinforce its military presence in South America.

There is no better way to have Peña as president than to turn Paraguay into a military base, with an agreement that allows the deployment of U.S. troops, signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Paraguayan counterpart Rubén Lezcano. This agreement is part of the new U.S. National Security Strategy, a revival of the Monroe Doctrine, considering Latin America as its “backyard.”

The ties between both governments are not recent. Even as a senator, Rubio maintained a close relationship with Peña. In 2024, the Secretary of State visited Asunción several times, and in August, they welcomed the president at the White House to sign an agreement on asylum and immigration.

Even before the military pact, Rubio had suggested handing over the administration of the Itaipú binational hydroelectric plant (Brazil-Paraguay) to U.S. artificial intelligence companies, which would involve utilizing South America's water and energy resources.

Another highlighted element is the recent police operation in Rio de Janeiro, which left 121 dead in the Penha and Alemão complexes on October 28. Following the operation, Paraguay declared “zero tolerance with narcoterrorists at its borders,” a stance aligned with U.S. strategy.

In addition to Paraguay, the United States is intensifying its presence in Argentina, Panama, Guyana, Ecuador, and El Salvador, aiming to reactivate military bases and conduct joint exercises. This dynamic responds to a policy of “encircling the region through the new national security strategy and militarization.”

Let us remember that Peña, loyal to the voice of his master, voted at the United Nations in favor of maintaining the U.S. blockade against Cuba. (TextandPhoto:Cubasí)