H08451
Headlines : GovernmentPolitical Upheaval In Latin America
Any attempt by Washington to tie the hands of these new leaders when they make economic decisions they believe are in the best interests of their people will only increase public frustration, and that can lead to extreme populism, from the right or the left. Although not a bad thing per se, populism can be used to promote radical ideologies that claim to represent the majority of the population.
‘*Centre-Left*’ Regimes In Latin America: New Winds from the left or hot air from a new right?
[Posted By ShiftShapers]Republished from In These Times
The presidential palaces of Latin America are famous for their imposing Spanish colonial grandeur. Not long ago these marble edifices on grand plazas were inhabited mostly by military strongmen. That these leaders were elites of European descent went virtually without question.
Today, Chile’s presidential palace, La Moneda, is the home of a single mother and torture survivor. In Buenos Aires’ famous Casa Rosada lives a man who is perhaps the biggest thorn in the side of the International Monetary Fund. In Bolivia it is an indigenous coca farmer, in Brazil a metalworker and in Uruguay a former leader of left social movements who call these palaces home.
In election after election, Latin Americans are choosing leaders who promise a shift from traditional elite-driven politics to more participatory and active democracies that focus on fulfilling the needs of the poor. With nearly a dozen national elections coming up this year, including especially significant ones in Mexico and Brazil, this is an important time to assess how far the new leaders of Latin American politics, diverse as they may be, are likely to go in achieving real change. And at a time of virtually one-party rule in the United States, the prospects for real…
Posted by ShiftShapers
Warning: Anyone who takes this blog seriously will be shot. Anyone who does not take it seriously will be buried alive by a Mitsubishi bulldozer. Welcome to (A)utonomous Resistance, GNN’s exclusive one-stop infoshop for radical resources and information....
RELATED ITEMS
- Latin America and Asia Are at Last Breaking Free of Washington's Grip
Posted by phoenix_rising on Thursday, March 16th 2006 - Latin America Unchained
Posted by phoenix_rising on Thursday, March 16th 2006 - The Rise of the Left in Latin America
Posted by atrain on Monday, December 19th 2005 - From Ché to Chavez: Latin America Revolts Against the Empire
Posted by ShiftShapers on Monday, February 20th 2006 - Venezuela: Caracas Libertarian Declaration
Posted by ShiftShapers on Sunday, February 5th 2006 - Alternative Social Forum Update
Posted by ShiftShapers on Monday, January 30th 2006 - Venezuela: Anarchists and the Caracas Alternative Social Forum - January 2006
Posted by ShiftShapers on Wednesday, November 16th 2005 - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Chavism and Anarchism, But Were Afraid to Ask
Posted by ShiftShapers on Tuesday, January 17th 2006 - Venezuela Trains For Guerrilla War
Posted by ShadowUnit on Monday, March 6th 2006 - Evo Morales and the Zapatistas: Latin America's Indians on the Move... in Different Directions
Posted by ShiftShapers on Friday, January 20th 2006 - Chavez Calls For ‘Socialism Or Death’
Posted by ShiftShapers on Monday, January 30th 2006 - Series of Global Protests to Begin in March
Posted by ShiftShapers on Monday, January 30th 2006 - World Social Forum: Time to Walk the Talk?
Posted by ShiftShapers on Saturday, January 28th 2006 - Venezuela's Anti-Authoritarian Path
Posted by ShiftShapers on Wednesday, December 28th 2005 - Will Morales Sell Out (Like Lula)?
Posted by ShadowUnit on Thursday, December 29th 2005 - Evo Morales, Communitarian Socialism and the Regional Power Block
Posted by kallawaya on Monday, January 16th 2006 - Bolivia: Why Evo Morales is no answer
Posted by RebeldePorLaPAZ on Monday, January 2nd 2006 - Evo: Bolivia's First Indigenous President
Posted by OCoileain on Monday, December 19th 2005 - In the Footsteps of Che Guevara: Democracy in South America
Posted by Ryz on Saturday, December 17th 2005 - How an Election in Bolivia Could Hurt Big Business
Posted by ShadowUnit on Wednesday, December 21st 2005 - Bolivia: Race and Revolution
Posted by ShiftShapers on Thursday, December 29th 2005
LATINO AMERICA PARA LOS LATINOS, VIVA LA MEMORIA DE VILLA, BOLIVAR, CASTRO, GUEVARA, ZAPATA, CHAVEZ, Y TODOS QUE HAN PELEADO Y MUERTO PARA EL BIEN DEL PUBELO. AND SHIFTY, i love readinig your articles, makes me proud to see my people giving a middle finger up to the US policy. Soon the rest of the world will follow.
No doubt Makaveli, as a Canadian living in a country where American influence is palpable in everything we say and do, where American influence dominates our own “chamber of commerce” it is inspiring to see these other countries in the hemisphere going their own way and refusing an economic doctrine that can only increase the disparity between rich and poor, increase the potential for conflict and upheaval. I hope the apathetic, commercially-saturated culture of Canada can awaken soon. If I were Prime Minister here, I’d be signing on to ALBA in a second! Hasta la victoria de las latinos para siempre!
I think we need to take lessons from latin america in their political choices about who they put in power, and lessons from across the pond in France in political activism – they dont fuck around.
In the Roman Empire, it was the citizens of Rome that often had it the worst… constant conscription, high taxes, insane emperors etc. I think it’s the same way with the US today… we’re the most powerful and richest country in the world, but we can’t afford Cuban quality healthcare or food for all of our people as is provided in Europe? The end of the American Empire could be rough, but it might be better in the end, and for Americans too. If Bush can’t hold on to Latin America, in his own hemisphere, then that is truly a sign of the end of the Empire.
Merlin is right, grow some balls and take a stand for what is right.
And a 1 day protest doesnt count. Show the gov’t that you are not mindless puppets.