Venezuela and its demagogic president, Hugo Chávez, won’t get a visit from President Bush. But Chávez’s appeal will be very much on Bush’s mind when he visits Latin America over the next week. That’s actually a healthy development. If it takes Chávez’s demagogy to spur Washington toward more enlightened policies in the Americas, so be it. In recent years, Washington has looked at Latin America with tunnel vision. It has shortchanged many of the issues that matter most to Latin Americans, like development, poverty reduction, access to credit, education and health care. Bush should use this trip, which will take him to Brazil, Uruguay, Guatemala, Colombia and Mexico, to start a new version of the alliance, one intended to reinforce democracy across the region. He should commit himself to ensuring that the benefits of expanded trade and investment reach the millions of Latin America’s urban and rural poor, not just the usual narrow elites. Programmes offering additional help for financing affordable mortgages, small business loans and health care training need to be

expanded.

President Bush had said that he has a special understanding of Latin America. With his reputation in the hemisphere nearing its nadir, there could hardly be a better time to put that understanding to work.