Increasingly, watching the international news makes me anxious, and sad. The ongoing tensions in the Crimean peninsula, with Ukrainians clinging to some hope of a pro-Western nation state as Russia sends in its military, flexing untethered weight in the region, has not only ignited the condemnation of world leaders, but shown an ominous “power grab” mindset of Vladimir Putin, just weeks after he put on a good show for the world, with the Sochi Winter Games.
Although the rising aggressions in the Crimea, are a sinister way of Putin trying to destroy any nationalist aspirations the Ukrainians may have for their future, the story also drags Western powers into a conflict – and a part of the world – where ironically back in 1945, Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin met inYalta to seal the end of World War II.
And while the world may be coming down with a Cold War chill over Crimea, and the media spotlight shifts from Syria, Egypt, Iraq and Palestine to Independence Square in Kiev, closer to home, we are witnessing a brave and unprecedented uprising in Venezuela by millions, who after enduring unabated Chavismo, are clamouring for change. The daily protests by students, willing to stand in the line of fire and at their barricades in downtown Caracas, show how fragile and dangerous the situation with Colombia’s neighbor to the East is developing.
If it were not for the constant violence suffered by Venezuelans to oust their charmless, bumbling president from power – our hemisphere (or indeed our entire continent), would be basking in an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity. And the news from Colombia recently also has to do with the opening up of horizons, and ending decades of international suspicion. The resounding vote of confidence by the European Union to lift the tourism visa Schengen for Colombians planning to visit the 26 nation states of the Schengen accord, has not only been welcomed, but puts Colombia back into a family of nations, whose citizens can just pack their bags and go out there to see some of the world.
Some of the more cynical have told me, they believe the lifting of Schengen opens a flood gate for illegal immigration to Europe. Sure, there will always be those who think of wandering off in search for a “better future.” But with or without visa controls, those who are so needy to get out, generally do find a way through. See the constant life and death dramas which unfold in the choppy seas of the Mediterranean by so many North Africans trying to escape war and strife in their home countries. If war knocks at the door of the Ukraine, countries such as Romania, Hungary and Poland could face a tide of immigrants and a humanitarian disaster.
The Schengen visa ultimately just acted as a deterrent for middle class Colombians wanting to spend their hard-earned pesos at the Musée du Louvre’s souvenir shop and the ticket booth outside Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia basilica. Colombians have a good thing going for them right now, and they have caught on. This country is blessed with stunning landscapes, generally healthy and hearty foods, vibrant and busy cities, and kind and friendly peoples trying to find their own measure of peace and prosperity.
Running with a strong vice presidential ticket, the Santos-Vargas Lleras alliance bodes well for the mid-year election race. Even if all the socialist candidates meld together into a colorful patchwork of opposition, it appears that the Bogotá-born powers that be, are poised for another four years of charting this country from the Nariño Palace.
And lastly, but far from least, as we inch our way to our six year anniversary as the only English language publication in Colombia, we are also riding a tangible positivism. Our readership is buoyant, and we have managed to remain free in a highly-competitive media marketplace.
I have no nostalgia for the past. I don’t miss getting off that British Airways 248 from Heathrow and being met by heavily-armed troops, pinned down at the ramp of an ominous place once known as ‘El Dorado.’ I don’t miss decades of mass kidnappings, power outages and having to turn up at a run-down airport, three hours early, so that all the obedient beagles have enough time to sniff through the plastic-sealed Samsonites.
I harbor no nostalgia for the past and of residing in a gated nation, hemmed in by fear. What 2014 has shown me so far is the wisdom embedded in an old adage: “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” And let’s hope that some of our infectious optimism trickles across the border and we can offer those quixotic patriots of Venezuela a helping hand in their fight for freedom and democracy.
