Leftwing Uruguay, supposedly fully in bed with Hugo Chavez, now seeking a free trade pact with the hated Colossus of the North, none other than the U.S. And you were told it was all going so bad down there. Uruguay is practically the vortex of supposedly anti-American sentiment, its president fully pals with the hemisphere’s worst dictators. And yet!

Seeking a free trade pact, same as Mexico’s Vicente Fox has got!

I am flabbergasted. Talk about unexpected! Uruguay was one of the five nations that didn’t sign on to the free trade pact with the U.S. at the Mar Del Plata Summit of the Americas. That said, it was only on agricultural tariff grounds, something entirely understandable.

But there these Uruguayans are, much to Hugo Chavez’s bitter dismay, given the cash he’s been shovelling there, seeking a free trade pact with Uncle Sam.

And I’m very pleased. Free trade benefits nations and companies across the board.

We all could use some delicious Uruguayan beef!

iViva Uruguay!

UPDATE: Cato has a great paper out about how free trade benefits businesses across the board. It’s a great read here.