López wears his distrust for foreigners like…

López wears his distrust for foreigners like a badge of loyalty to the nation, but he is not as cautious as he appears.

López recklessly drops Francia's key policies of neutrality without making the hard choices and compromises about where his allegiances lie.

He allows unsettled controversies and boundary disputes with Brazil and Argentina to smolder.

The two regional giants had tolerated Paraguayan independence, partly because Paraguay serves to check the expansionist tendencies of the other.

Both are satisfied if the other cannot dominate Paraguayan affairs.

At the same time, however, a Paraguay that is antagonistic to both Brazil and Argentina will give these countries a reason for uniting.