Re: Latin America in Red

Damian:

I'm glad that finally a member of the list put the Latin
America issue on the table.

As a Bolivian, I think that  these proceses evidently
show an expansion of the scope of the so called liberal
democracies in Latin America, a region that is well kown
for its capacity of segregation of majority groups,
particularly indians and black people.

What these social movements can do, as long as they
remain confined to the burgeoise form of democracy, is
to try (not always successfully) to stop the forces of
world capitalism affecting our countries (e.g.
forthcoming FTAA), but always with the same instruments
that such a  USA controlled, burgeoise democracy gives
them.  In that sense, we cant's expect much of a
revolutionary change.

But the important thing is that more people that
formerly were marginalized from political power, feel
now that their interests are represented there, and (in
the case of Boivia, at least) grass roots, indian
leaders, that are supposedly more exposed to social
watch than traditional, white politicians are now in
parliament, wich is indicative of the democratic
expansion I mentioned before.

There are severe limitations that these movements face,
in order to achieve a big, "truly alternative polity"
but they can, at least, make the marginalized people´s
voice be heard, and their interests be represented, in a
national and in an international context.

Pablo Rossell



--- n0705590 <Damian.Popolo@newcastle.ac.uk> wrote:
> Dear friends,
> 
> This is to initiate a debate on current events in
> Latin America, making 
> reference to a recent book on revolutions written by
> Fred Halliday.  In his 
> works, Halliday maintains that the revolutionary
> cycle, as we know it, has 
> come to an end.  Nonetheless, one cannot fail to
> perceive an important element 
> of chance in current Latin American politiy - it
> seems, the continent is 
> turning 'red'.
> 
> In Venezuela, Hugo Chavez Frias constantly makes
> reference to his 'Bolivarian 
> Revolution'.  Although his policies are clearly
> committed to market 
> principles, he is being constantly accused by the
> (partially discredited) 
> opposition as a Left wing populist demagogue, wanting
> to implement a 
> Cuban-style socialist regime.  In Ecuador, Lucio
> Gutiérrez is making important 
> advances, in Bolivia, Evo Morales just marginally lost
> the last election.  
> Peru is experiencing occasional social unrest, as
> recent manifestations 
> against the privatization of water demonstrates, while
> in Brazil, Lula's 
> victory inagurates the first 'left wing' government in
> that country.  
> Curiously, the only significant exeptions in the
> continent are Chile (where, 
> of course, the trend has been previously brutally
> repressed) and Argentina, 
> where permanent economic instability might help to
> produce similar 
> developments.
> 
> A few important questions could arise from the list:
> 
> -Is this trend far too heterogenic to be understood as
> a general process?
> 
> -To what extent are thess regimes truly
> 'revolutionary'?
> 
> -To what extente do they have the possibilities of
> developing a truly 
> alternative politiy?
> 
> -Is this trend likely to become more generalized in
> the medium term?
> 
> -What are the macroeconomic implications for the
> reagion?
> 
> `For thos of you who read spanish:
> 
> 10:32 AM)  Presidente Chávez cuestiona uso de su
> nombre en campaña electoral 
> brasileña 
> Caracas.- El presidente Hugo Chávez insistió en su
> programa dominical "Aló, 
> Presidente" en que la oposición mantiene "tesis
> peregrinas" como la de que su 
> gobierno pretende implantar un modelo
> "castrocomunista".
> Criticó el uso de su nombre para las campañas
> electorales en Brasil y Ecuador, 
> pues, a su juicio, "han dicho que yo quiero montar un
> modelo castrocomunista, 
> utilizando a Fidel (Castro)".
> 
> Instó a entender el proceso revolucionario en Cuba a
> través del estudio de la 
> época, "pero no con estas tesis peregrinas; están
> agarrando esas cosas del 
> aire y ahora la están agarrando con Lula (Luiz
> Inacio)", dijo.
> 
> Denunció que usan su nombre para "satanizar" la
> candidatura de Luiz Inacio 
> Lula da Silva en Brasil y del populista de izquierda
> Lucio Gutiérrez, en 
> Ecuador.
> 
> "Han estado utilizando mi nombre" para "tratar de
> perjudicar a Lula", de quien 
> se considera "amigo" y al cual considera que triunfará
> hoy en la segunda 
> vuelta de las elecciones presidenciales en Brasil.
> 
> Observó que el continente "está siendo recorrido de
> nuevo por un impulso 
> libertario", en alusión a los pronosticados triunfos
> de Lula en Brasil y de 
> Gutiérrez en Ecuador.
> 
> No obstante, advirtió que no puede inmiscuirse ni
> opinar en el proceso interno 
> de otros países. "Sólo que votamos por la democracia
> en Brasil y la unión como 
> parte del enfoque y del proyecto bolivariano", afirmó.
> 
> Considera que lo que ocurre en América Latina es una
> oleada de cambios 
> profundos. "Es un pueblo buscando su propia raíz",
> dijo.
> 
> El programa "Aló, Presidente" es transmitido esta
> semana desde el Salón 
> Ayacucho del Palacio de Miraflores. Entre otros
> funcionarios gubernamentales, 
> están presentes la procuradora Marisol Plaza y el ex
> ministro de Interior y 
> Justicia, Ramón Rodríguez Chacín.
> 
> 
> Damian Popolo
> PhD candidate
> Newcastle University
> Department of Politics
> Room 301
> 


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