Indigenous former farmer wins Bolivian presidency

by redjade Sun Dec 25, 2005 21:38

A Different Latin America
NY Times Editorial

....do not expect any toasts from the Bush administration. During the campaign, Mr. Morales advertised himself as Washington's "nightmare." He opposes almost everything the Bush team stands for in Latin America, from combating coca leaf production to privatizing natural resources and liberalizing trade.

[....]

The political balance in Latin America has clearly been shifting to the left. Nearly 300 million of South America's 365 million people live under left-wing governments.

[....]

Few countries adopted Washington's economic prescriptions more eagerly than Bolivia did in the 1980's and 90's. Yet despite considerable mineral and energy resources, it remains South America's poorest country, with 60 percent of its people living in poverty. The left-behind and angry poor voted for Mr. Morales in large numbers, as they have voted repeatedly for Mr. Chávez in Venezuela.

When denunciations of Yanqui imperialism in Latin America start coming from the presidential palaces as well as the streets and opposition benches, Washington needs to change its ways. The friendship of neighbors is a terrible thing to lose.

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by hmmmmm Tue Dec 27, 2005 21:24

220 million Europeans live under left wing regimes.
And thanks be to socialism they do - no? Yes it could be worse, has been before.
Or to make it more local. Imagine what life was like for the inhabitants of Dublin's fingal before joe Higgins was elected. For indeed the poor of Dublin's west side do now have a political representative who is radical left leaning and represents them well. But has it really changed their lot?
So we may celebrate a "swing" to the left in constitutional politics, but we can't hope for too much from it, as long as global politics is controlled by non-elected institutions such as the WTO, IMF and WB and policy is decided by the equally unelected G8 and direction is guided by an unending list of lobbies starting in influence with the buildebergers trilalteral comission.
For as you all well know, when ireland has a left wing regime of which joe Higgins was an average sort of member, then things will be different _for ireland_. Still doesn't mean the g8 or the USA will give a monkeys. So think local & act global. Ironically it is often more in our longterm interest to labour under constitutional rightwing regimes then lose credibility because our leftwing representation or popular mass mobilised regimes can't deliver their promised change.