|
|
Article: The other crumbling empire. (United States and Latin America) (American Survey)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- February 10, 1990
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1990 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
The other crumbling empire
IT HAD to be Cartagena. Of all the ports of the Spanish Main in the age of Buccaneers 300 years ago, none was more enticing to the rascals, pirates and vagabonds who traded contraband than the walled city on Colombia's northern coast. Henry Morgan, buccaneer-in-chief (and later a respectable vice-governor of Jamaica) was always off to carouse there.
These unfortunate echoes of the past will no doubt be missed--or at least, not commented on--when President Bush meets the leaders of Colombia, Peru and Bolivia in Cartagena on February 15th to talk about drugs. Instead, optimists hope, the talk will be all of the future: of a new ...