World

By Thiago Mattos
TheSequitur.com Contributor
Oct. 3, 2006

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- The United State’s war on terror may not only set a precedent for a greater American presence in the Middle East but also in South America, where, coincidentally, natural gas and other precious resources are in abundance.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed an unusual motion in February calling on President Bush to create a special taskforce on the conjoining borders of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, commonly known as the “Triple Border.”

The United States contends the force is needed to assist in investigating and combating the proliferation of Islamic terrorist organizations in the area, where U.S. officials believe 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed visited for a few weeks in 1995.

Despite evidence to the contrary, U.S. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), who sponsored the resolution, speculated that there is a possible Al Qaeda cell in the region and that terrorists would use Brazil as a conduit to enter the United States through its border with Mexico.

The sensitive point is that this motion suggests a militarization of the region in name of the war on terror, a concept that could easily be manipulated for ulterior motives. 

Evidence of this military massing is already evident. A few weeks ago, Guiana announced the participation of a U.S. military force to watch its portion of the Amazon Rain Forest. There also is a U.S. military presence until December on Paraguayan soil to conduct military exercises.

Despite local problems with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia, a guerrilla organization commonly known as FARC, South America is one of the few peaceful regions in the world. People there are far from any terrorist problems or threats.  And the military buildup efforts won’t bring any guarantee of absolute safety to the region – or at least for its people.

The Triple Border region, it is worth remembering, has strategic importance because it is home to the Guarani aquifer, the biggest recource of fresh water on American subsoil. Then there’s Bolivia, which has an estimated 28.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas. Plus, the Amazon could provide decade after decade of logging for the industrialized world. 

Besides the constant threats to internationalize Amazonia – a completely absurd idea, by the way – any step toward intervention by the United States or others that compromises the sovereignty of theses countries should be done with due care.