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Reactionary Tide in Latin America
Lowy, Michael
http://www.solidarity-us.org/node/4695Date Written: 2016-07-01 Publisher: Against the Current Year Published: 2016 Resource Type: Article Cx Number: CX21456 The oligarchic reaction against the leftist governments never ceased during the past 15 years, but now it has achieved some very substantial victories. Abstract: - Excerpt: In Argentina, the left Peronist experience of the Kirchner government (Nestor, and after his death his wife Christina) came recently to an end with the election of the right-wing, pro-imperialist and neoliberal candidate, Mauricio Macri. And in Venezuela, the oligarchic opposition won the parliamentary elections, thus seriously challenging the power of Hugo Chávez's successor, Nicolas Maduro. These defeats certainly have to do with a) the difficult economic conjuncture, due to the fall in the prices of commodities and b) the limits and contradictions of the processes of change in the two countries. But they also document the capacity of the reactionary bourgeois forces to manipulate, deceive and mislead significant sectors of the population, thanks to their quasi-monopoly ownership of the mass media. The most successful Leftist government in Latin America is probably the Bolivian one of Evo Morales, the indigenous peasant leader who defeated the neoliberal oligarchic forces with massive popular support. But even here there has been disappointment with several decisions of the government, opposed by workers' unions and indigenous movements. Subject Headings |