What's the deal about Angola anyway?

[LostinBA]

Seriously, why are they so fixated on Angola when they already have significant trade partners with a shared border (i.e low transport costs and existing tariff-free trade agreements) that they're consistently pissing off? One would think that the path of least resistance in terms of increasing trade would be to improve the relations you already have, no? If someone truly understand what their goal is, would you please elucidate it for all because I ain't getting it.

 

[Gringoboy]

I think this may help in your quest mate.
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc102/rufinoman/cfkangola1.jpg

 

[scotttswan]

I presume its to get another country to go... malvinas? sure we support them....

Could also be a mission for CFK to find out how someone manages to stay in power for so long.

 

[TrevorCito]

I suspect money laundering as Angola is one of the best places to do it. Trade is just a ruse

 

[nyer4ever]

It's a humanitarian mission. They're giving "Clarin Lies" socks to poor children. http://bucket3.clanacion.com.ar/anexos/fotos/98/medios-y-politica-1536198w645.jpg

 

[syngirl]

It's all Moreno's doing -- I believe he was one of those guys that was big into the original Peronista movement as well as a follower of Che / Castro / and the Cuban revolution and I think still holds onto those idealistic beliefs that Che had about Angola.

It's totally bizarre, but yeah, I think the whole money laundering comment above is right -- I mean, one of the guys he brought along with him to Angola is the chief of the Saladita. Dirty money for sure.

Lanata is talking about Angola this week on his show (sunday), watch that and then the next night watch 678 for the officialista argument against everything Lanata has to say.

 

[YanquiGallego]

Fidel Castro for years maintained a great rapport with Angola, due to it's strong communist ties, and we all know K is the apprentice of Castro and Chavez.

 

[el_expatriado]

...the next night watch 678 for the officialista argument against everything Lanata has to say.

Have you ever got through more than 5-10 minutes of 678? I tried to watch once but I literally felt my brain cells dying while I watched the program. I had to shut it off to stop the pain.

 

[LostinBA]

It's all Moreno's doing -- I believe he was one of those guys that was big into the original Peronista movement as well as a follower of Che / Castro / and the Cuban revolution and I think still holds onto those idealistic beliefs that Che had about Angola.

It's totally bizarre, but yeah, I think the whole money laundering comment above is right -- I mean, one of the guys he brought along with him to Angola is the chief of the Saladita. Dirty money for sure.

Lanata is talking about Angola this week on his show (sunday), watch that and then the next night watch 678 for the officialista argument against everything Lanata has to say.

Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely tune into Lanata.

For me this entire misadventure is just more proof of how stupid and harmful to Argentina this guy Moreno actually is. Here is a man leading trade missions to a country that is on the bottom 10% of the global corruption index. He acts like a combination of a Barra Brava (football thug) and Chamochero thinking that he can force business to be done between the 2 countries without it seems the slightest concept of how business must be mutually beneficial, organic and productive (without wanton governmental intervention). Somehow I don't think (hope anyway) the Angolan government can possibly be as stupid as this one.

As for Angola being a member of OPEC...all the production companies, equipment, services come from companies already operating in THIS country so he's not gaining anything there.

And giving free "Clarin Miente" socks to shoeless kids...well, what can one say about that? Really. It's laughable.

So what's the play?

 

[ElQueso]

Maybe she's also trying to show how, in the face of other countries turning their backs on poor, misunderstood and down-trodden Argentina, there are countries that are also ex-colonies of someone (Portugal in this case) that the true leaders of the anti-colonialism and worker's paradise like Argentina will show them how to shake off their yokes.

I've been to Angola, though about 11 years ago. What a s**t hole it was then. We drove around with guards armed with Uzis, in a Range Rover, the vehicle which was needed to avoid and/or navigate the craters and ruins made by bombs in the middle of Luanda. Talk about poor people. Angola makes Paraguay look like a rich country.

Maybe it's changed somewhat since then, but when I was there, it was called the most expensive city in the world for foreigners, and I believe it still is. And the reason they call it that is because the country produces very little of its own things, and any item that is not basic subsistence type items must be imported. Of course, the extraordinarily corrupt government impacts imports as well by their high import duties...

Maybe Cristina, et al, are thinking that they can actually export to a country such as this and make some money. Obviously not oil (that would be a double whammy), but seeing as how they are so clueless about what they've done here, blocking imports in an attempt to keep dollars in the country and at the same time thinking they can magically up production to cover the lack of incoming goods, they think also they can produce enough to offset some of their trade imbalances here by exporting to another country, who is much more truly a victim of outside influences than Argentina ever was or is currently.

Truly, I bet she's just grandstanding to show the people here that Argentina is a world-wide going concern, but with one of the few countries in the world that would actually accept overtures because they are so poor and down-trodden.