Recently President Bush went on a six nation South American tour, a 
region in which both the Clinton and Bush administrations have failed to spend
sufficient time and resources.  His visit was a progressive move in the
right direction but many experts have claimed the visit was too little 
and too late. The division between the North and the South of the Americas 
has flourished in recent years.  Since the election of Hugo Chavez in 1998,
three-quarter of the nations in Latin America have shifted to the left.  
The winds of change have turned the region into a hotbed of anti-Americanism.

In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez, the vibrant and resilient firebrand
tyrant has made it his mission to unseat American power in the region.
Since coming to the helm he has taunted the United States, ridiculed the
President, undermined American efforts in the region and attempted to
cripple American interests.  President Hugo Chavez famously said before the
United States General Assembly in New York that the US administration,
especially the one led by President Bush, is one run by the devil and
belongs in hell.  His mission has been to forge an alliance of leftist
governments in the region.

Unfortunately, Washington did not initially pay attention but it seems 
to be doing so now. Venezuela has substantially increased economic, cultural 
and political ties with Iran, China and Russia.  Presently, Chavez sits 
atop the largest oil reserves in the world and is the United States' fourth 
largest supplier.  He has taken advantage of every political situation to 
benefit his leftist ideology and to promote similar movements in the region.

In Brazil, disdain for the United States has been building for decades.
Several days after the 9/11 attacks a prominent economist even claimed 
that the American far right was behind the attack to justify a takeover of 
other nations.  This form of anti-Americanism is not restricted to parties on 
the left: even the parties on the right are against American policy.  
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and President Bush recently signed an 
initiative to combat bio-diesel, but this form of cooperation is limited.  
Brazil's retired ambassador to the United States recently said that policy at
Brazil's Foreign Ministry is increasingly dictated by a group of
short-sighted, anti-American leftists.  Former ambassador Roberto 
Abdenur, 64, confirmed that a "short-sighted group filled with anti-Americanism 
is controlling foreign policy in Brazil."  In fact, anti-Americanism has 
grown so high in Brazil that according to a poll by a respected poll 
organization IBOPE: "President Bush received a lower approval rating than Saddam
Hussein."

In Argentina, President Nestor Kirchner recently pledged to strengthen 
ties with Hugo Chavez and move towards a more pro-Socialist government.  He
assured the virulent anti-American Venezuelan President that he would 
never succumb to United States pressure and he considers Chavez to be a loyal
friend.  He assured an alliance among Venezuela, Argentina and Brazil 
to counter any form of interference while vowing that no country can 
divide the friendship between Argentina and Venezuela.

In Cuba, Fidel Castro, the symbolic hero of Communism, has been 
stricken with cancer, but his ideological system rages on through Raul Castro, 
his youngest brother.  Cuba suffers from widespread economic and social
problems, but Venezuela has promised to assist the Communist nation's
crippling economic system with oil and gas reserves.  The optimistic
proposition that Cuba will flourish into a democratic paradise after 
the fall of Castro will not transpire, if other nations in the region 
supporting the transition to another leftist leader in Cuba are not confronted.

In Bolivia, President Eva Morales recently forged a close alliance with 
Hugo Chavez, vowing to keep a tide of friendship between the two nations.
President Morales says he wants good relations with the United States, 
but that seems to be more rhetoric than concrete axiom, since Bolivia is 
one of few nations strengthening ties with nations like Syria and Iran.  Since
coming to power, Morales has filled his top cabinet positions with
indigenous members whom he forbids to speak English.  He has endorsed 
the coca leaf, a leaf traditionally cultivated and used to combat altitude
sickness, but from which modern times cocaine is refined.  Illicit 
drugs such as cocaine are used by terrorist groups to fund their underground
operations.

It is not just the negative sentiment these countries harbor towards the
United States that is alarming, but also the alliances they are forging with
terror-sponsoring nations. Recently Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia met with
leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran hoping to forge closer relations.
Fidel Castro said of Iranian President Ahmadinejad that he is "increasing
his ability to fight big powers by the day."  Mr. Ahmadinejad has said 
he is "hopeful of a new wave of revolution and increased cooperation" between 
Iran and Cuba.  Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has defended Iran's right 
to develop nuclear energy and declared that Iran and Venezuela are like
"brothers who fight for a just world."

Fortunately, the United States still has some allies in Latin America,
including President Alváro Uribe in Colombia, President Calderon in 
Mexico and a couple of other scattered allies, but the alliances are slim.  If 
the United States does not pay attention to the growth of the far left in 
Latin

America, there is a strong possibility of a powerful alliance between
anti-American regimes in Latin America and those scattered elsewhere.  
The United States has a chance to promote pro-American movements in the 
region by reaching out to the people of Latin America, promoting cultural 
exchange programs, promoting technological exchanges, broadening business
transactions, and collaborating on foreign policy initiatives.  The United
States needs to take a bold, aggressive step before the entire region is
engulfed by the radical left.

Slater Bakhtavar is president and founder of the Republican Youth of 
America, a frequent commentator and respected analyst on foreign policy 
issues, and an attorney working toward a post-doctoral degree in 
International Law.