I think its important to remember that social equality is impossible to realize w/o “first-amendment-type rights and liberties, which is why shit like Marxism has been such a dismal failure. The shot-callers are always “more equal” than the hoi polloi.

As far as South America it sounds like the popular movements that are resulting in the election of more leftist government representatives is almost kinda overshadowed by the elected leaders and what they are doing. I say this because from what you have decribed as well as other people having reservations, in articles I have read, on how far reforms will go to help those in immediate need as well as the dismantling of bureaucratic systems that seem very ceseptable to corruption. This seems to be the main topic of discussion. For instance in my case I think that Chavez is good for the poor majority in Venezuela and the thought of him being ousted or killed by the opposition forces both domestic and international would be disastrous for the 66% that voted for him. But I always seem to forget that there are many organizations that are supporting him and millions of people that fought and suffered and died to make this happen. I think that it would be very interesting to hear more about the popular organizations, their creation their structure and the experiences of the individuals within them.

Cochabamba! Thats one of the places I was talking about. It all sounds pretty impressive - cutting off the mayor, electing their own representative, setting up an interim council thing… but they don’t seem to have moved very far in getting powers to match the title. Like, they set up this council and then went home.
Better than we’ve managed though.

Anyway, the issue of the national question and autonomy for Santa Cruz in my mind is pretty simple: The wealthy (who are largely clumped together in SC) don’t want their wealth expropriated, don’t want to be under the influence of a movement to the left, and simply don’t want to live in a country approaching socialism. If you isolate a wealthy part, it has some pretty big ramifications. Also, it will be interesting to see how Chavez changes when the price of oil goes down.

As for Brazil’s influence, I’m not sure they have out-right aspirations for dominance, but they serve as a check on the move to the left (Lula being quite a centrist), they want to protect their oil subsidies, and its another way to appease the hostile middle and upper classes in Brazil AND Bolivia.

I’ve gotta say, I don’t agree that people like Ahmadinejad or Kim Jong are the lesser of two evils. The less powerful, certainly, but cut from the same cloth. This “enemy of the enemy” business seems to prevail under capitalism, in elections and war and nationalism, in place of actual, y’know, choice. Maybe I’m being incoherent (its lunch time, growl), but I reserve the right to stick my finger up at all those fellas. I do see your point, that any check on the unbridled dominance of the west is healthy, but I’m just not sure I agree.

And yeah, I think you’re right, we’re fed enemies constantly. Its a game of distraction and it works pretty well. Actually, that book War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning goes in to that, worth a read. Way back during the cold war it was more explicit, but its the same business of Self and Other now, most explicitly here with terrorists (the new reds under the bed).

I do apologise, again, for this ramble, I just know I’m not going to have a chance to reply later.

I also agree that the current popularly elected leaders in South and Central America as well as Ahmadinejad are not perfect role models but I remember when Kim Jong said that if the US tries to force inspectors in to N. Korea then they will Nuke Japan ( i think that was the story and doubt that was all of it since i read in the San Deigo Union) i though damn that’s cool. Not that Japan should be nuked but it had been a long time since I had heard a Nation State make such a threat in direct opposition of US policy and one that it could carry out. I think that any one who resist the dominate power of the West is looked at from the left as the lesser of too evils because they are not becoming another front or client state of the dominate power

Also i think that people could make more progress within their country and stop unfair and inhumane treatment if there are not any out side forces constantly pushing on them. Even here in the US we are told that there are out side enemies like Socialist and Communist then Terrorist and Fundamentalist and immagrants and drug traffickers comming after US it makes us stop what we are doing and try to combat this to “save our way of life” , so we have limited time and resources to improve our own society. Other countries who have very real threats and severe consequences from out side forces they must have even less time to improve their domestic way of life. Maybe thats where popularity of leaders like Ahmadinejad come from.

You can even see this within the Western left, if my country has anything to do with it. People don’t mention Ahmadinejad as a union busting, striker-arresting, gay-killing nutjob, at least not without mentioning that he represents “an alternative”.
Actually, I went to a meeting once about the likelihood of a US or Israeli attack on Iran, and the willingess to forgive his “jagged edges” was mind-boggling.

I also think Chavez, Morales etc are aware that the people would come out in support of them if and when “advisers” enter their country, and also that the idea of a proper military excursion in Latin America is just not on the cards right now when the US is bogged down in two hostile countries and fighting the odd proxy war for good measure too.

Latin America (to steal a phrase) fascinates the shit out of me right now. There’s a lot of exciting stuff happening, despite the usual top-down nonsense. Lula and his type reflect the shift to left, but I don’t have a lot of faith in them as leaders or in their movements becoming necessarily revolutionary… Especially him and Ortega, mr “I’m a Communist… no, no, I’m a christian centrist!”

The two countries I’m really interested in are Venezuela and Bolivia though. Chavez most certainly has his flaws and contradictions, but what his re-election reflects (i think) is very positive. I mean, he had a better majority than most could dream of. Having said that, to declare yourself a trotskyist who is focused on implementing permanent revolution, and then five seconds later ask for the power to rule by decree, doesn’t cut it for me. He’s made a lot of mistakes - like refusing to arm the workers when they wanted to, to defend him - but he has made himself the Messiah of socialism to a lot of Venezuelans (I guess because Venezuela has little history of class consciousness or movement). Exactly how many times are top-down autocrats going to declare themselves socialists? And how many times are people going to accept it?

Bolivia is interesting because despite Morales having a pretty reactionary influence, the people are moving under him and taking the struggle into their own hands, and are really holding him accountable too. At some point he was warned by a farmer that they’d deposed four presidents in four years, and they weren’t afraid to do the same to him if he didn’t move with the people. As far as I can tell he’s accomodating capitalism and the ruling class, and in my mind he’ll come into conflict with the people pretty soon. Unless planting the national question in there saves him.
There’s actually a very interesting sitution emerging right now in two places in Bolivia where people have taken the initiative to run their districts autonomously, with blocades in one place and the setting up of a independent council in another (having gotten rid of the right wing prefect). I can’t remember the names at the moment, but if i have time i’ll post it later.

RTE (an irish tv channel) made a documentary about the coup against chavez which is worth watching. I can’t find it on goggle or youtube, but its called “Chavez: Inside The Coup”. Check it, if you get the chance.

Sincere apologies for this poorly written rant. Would you believe me if I told you I’m busy? You shouldn’t, I’m just lazy.

Let’s face it ladies and gentleboys, Chavez could truly shift global political, economic, territorial power that is concentrated so heavily in the U.S. All minor discrepancies aside, he is currently building a stronger forum for social projects in Latin America, offering an alternative to the IMF, whom infamously (relative term for the U.S., I suppose) represses its borrowing countries into a downward spiral of debt.

In any case, it is clear that Chavez has his faults, but let’s not disregard the progress made in Venezuela, let alone in neighboring countries alike. I just hope this decree of power won’t be the downfall of Chavez.

P.S. Tell if I am being naive or misguided…

!!!!!!