The friendship between Spain’s Defense Minister and Venezuela’s apprentice dictator seems to go deeper than mere commercial weapons transactions. During his constant visits to Caracas, Bono seems to have learned from the Bolivar-style dictator how the army can become an instrument to serve political plans.

 

The latest event in the politicization of the Spanish Army was the Minister’s Council removing Melilla’s commander in chief from office and substituting him with a more pliable commander willing to bow to the Defense Minister’s despotic will. This dismissal revived the military’s ill will towards Rodríguez Zapatero in general and the Defense Minister in particular.

 

The official excuse for the dismissal was that Melilla’s military chief told the press he agreed with what General Mena had said in Seville during the celebration of the annual Military gathering. But in truth, there was on-going disagreement between the new Chief of the Army, General Pitarch, and the fired general over how best to fill the garrison’s top posts. The commander in Melilla recommended those officers he judged to be the most professional and capable. But from headquarters in Seville, the goal was to promote those candidates most closely aligned with the current administration.

 

Nor did the Minister’s demagogic statements on the presence of women in the Armed Forces sit well with the soldiers. It is still possible the Minister will propose establishing a female quota for general employment.

 

The Zapatero administration seems to have taken the new left-wing governments in Latin America as its reference points not only in foreign policy, but domestic as well. It seems the Prime Minister’s military policies are copied from Chavez, his economic policies from Evo Morales and his policy on freedom of the press from Fidel Castro.