Unrest in Bolivia (following in Cuba, Brazil, and Venezuela's foot steps?)

[BayCityProgressive]

The President of Bolivia has been toppled by the peoples mass strikes..there is a transitional government now in place to hold elections in December. So far it is looking like a coca union leader from the Party "Movement to Socialism" is projected to win a clear majority in the election. If this happens and latin America continues moving towards socialism can we expect an increased focus on the Drug War (i.e. supress the people war)? Also, there are rumours that the ruling class will try and start civil wars to break Bolivia into multiple countries.

[BayCityProgressive]

1. on edit

I believe Uruguay just elected a communist/socialist president as well.

[knowbody0]

2. chavez leads the way

Latin Americans (the people) are filled with hope.

[scarletwoman]

3. Do you have a link for a news story about this?

Where did you get your information? I'd like to read more about this.

sw

[BayCityProgressive]

4. Yes, here are some:

regarding uruguay's first ever socialist President-
http://gnn.tv/headlines/102/Leftist_wins_historic_Uruguayan_presidential_election

Ecuador elects moderate-left president suported by unions, native people, and marxist groups-
http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/11-25-2002-30994.asp

Unrest rocks Bolivia- ( there are many links about this easily available on google)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3157032.stm

Brazil passes law granting a basic income to ALL citizens under left wing Lula (this link is old but you get the basics ont he idea, Lula now wants this placed int he nation's constitution)-
http://cyborgdemocracy.net/2003/12/brazil-provisionally-passes-basic.html

Brazil, Venezuela, Cuba declare themselves AXIS OF GOOD
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0103-01.htm

Also Venezuela has begun building cooperatives, passing agrarian reform, and nationalizing some industry. They are also trading oil for doctors and teachers with Cuba.

[Qibing Zero]

Wow, go Brazil

That's groundbreaking. Finally someone realizes that we have the resources these days to take care of everyone.

[Qibing Zero]

5. Wow, go Brazil

That's groundbreaking. Finally someone realizes that we have the resources these days to take care of everyone.

[scarletwoman]

7. Yes I know I can google, I was asking if you were citing a recent source

in particular, that would support your assertion that "So far it is looking like a coca union leader from the Party "Movement to Socialism" is projected to win a clear majority in the election."

The most recent article I can find (Sept. 9, 2005) shows Morales 19 points behind right-wing former president Jorge Quiroga:

http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=12764

Most of the links you've posted are older articles from 2002 & 2003. I've been following the situation in South America at least that long.

Thanks anyway,
sw

[BayCityProgressive]

8. i'm sorry

maybe that came off wrong, I wasn't trying to be rude. I will try and find a recent link on that.

[scarletwoman]

12. No need to apologize, I didn't think you were being rude.

I was excited about the idea that Morales could be leading in the polls, is all. I was hoping there was a recent news article about it which would go into more detail.

I'm disappointed that it appears tobe no such news. As I said, the most recent link I found (on google ;-) ), shows him still placing 3rd in the polls. I guess we'll see how it all shakes out come December.

There may indeed be a leftward trend in South American politics, but its success is far from assured, and the forces arrayed to oppose it are formidable and ruthless.

It's a struggle that bears watching with a strong commitment to deep understanding and seeking out the truth.

sw

[Judi Lynn]

13. Here's an article from today,showing he's keeping up with ex-Pres. Quiroga

Posted on Mon, Sep. 12, 2005

Truce between Bolivian troops, coca growers set to expire

BY JACK CHANG
Knight Ridder Newspapers

....According to the U.S. State Department, Bolivia is the world's third-largest producer of cocaine. The United States has poured more than $150 million in military and social aid into the country annually over the past four years, in part to fight coca cultivation.
(snip)

Kathryn Ledebur, director of the human rights group the Andean Information Network, sees the coca issue heating up as the election approaches.

Presidential candidates Evo Morales, himself a coca grower, and former President Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, who oversaw the country's coca eradication effort in 2001 and 2002, were running neck-and-neck in a recent poll.

Morales has said in interviews that he plans to promote the growth of coca for industrial uses other than cocaine production. As one of the country's main coca-producing areas, the Chapare is also the heart of Morales' political support.
(snip/...)

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/world/12626479.htm



Evo Morales, Jorge Quiroga (2nd from right) and Jorge Quiroga
(Could Quiroga be any more European?)

[scarletwoman]

17. Thanks for this! I haven't had time to do any further searching today.

And I know this is incredibly shallow, and no doubt wildly inappropriate, but Oh man!, I think Morales is hot!

Abject apologies... Sometimes I just gotta cut loose... :spank:

sw

[arcos]

14. Lucio Gutiérrez is no longer in power in Ecuador...

And Lula and Vásquez are pretty much center-left and not planning any moves to socialism.

[1932]

I want to correct only one mistake:

Venezuela isn't nationalizing any industries. I read Chávez : Venezuela and the New Latin America by Hugo Chávez, David Deutschmann (Editor) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1920888004/qid=1126577015/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-0913486-6351016?v=glance&s=books&n=507846.

In that book, Chavez points out that he only wants to keep nationalized one industry, PDVSA. PDVSA has always been state owned, but earlier governments used it to make private citizens very wealthy. When Chavez became president, the exiting government tried to privatize the "brains" of PDVSA. Chavez pushed through a constitution that guarantees that PDVSA will remain nationalized.

The gov't is partnering with private groups of workers to start-up industries so that Venezuela "adds value" in Venezuela rather than exports all its raw materials. But these aren't really nationalized companies. They're only state-partnered in the start-up phase and will be privatized eventually (to be owned by workers, unless a conservative party wins the presidency and gives them to their friends).

[1932]

15. I want to correct only one mistake:

Venezuela isn't nationalizing any industries. I read Chávez : Venezuela and the New Latin America by Hugo Chávez, David Deutschmann (Editor) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1920888004/qid=1126577015/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-0913486-6351016?v=glance&s=books&n=507846.

In that book, Chavez points out that he only wants to keep nationalized one industry, PDVSA. PDVSA has always been state owned, but earlier governments used it to make private citizens very wealthy. When Chavez became president, the exiting government tried to privatize the "brains" of PDVSA. Chavez pushed through a constitution that guarantees that PDVSA will remain nationalized.

The gov't is partnering with private groups of workers to start-up industries so that Venezuela "adds value" in Venezuela rather than exports all its raw materials. But these aren't really nationalized companies. They're only state-partnered in the start-up phase and will be privatized eventually (to be owned by workers, unless a conservative party wins the presidency and gives them to their friends).

[Judi Lynn]

6. Concerning the oil and doctors material with Cuba.

Venezuela offers oil to Central American and Caribbean countries at preferred rates, and it can be studied more closely by a search for the San Jose Accord, which affects all of them, and the Caracas Accord, which involves Cuba specifically. By the way, Mexico is a partner WITH VENEZUELA in the San Jose Accord in offering oil at preferred rates, and that arrangement goes back to BEFORE Hugo Chavez was the President of Venezuela, if I'm not mistaken. A lot of right-wingers pass very flawed information around about this, and it's really a good idea if everyone gets the real information as soon as possible, to prevent more disinformation.

Here's a quick snippet I grabbed which can be useful:

After Chavez was first elected to the presidency in 1998, Cuba was among the first countries he visited and the two countries started collaborating on trade and political issues. In 2000, they reached an accord under which Venezuela, the fifth biggest producer of oil in the world, agreed to supply Cuba with 53,000 barrels of oil a day at a preferential price, in return for which Cuba agreed to send 20,000 medical professionals and teachers to Venezuela. Venezuela has extended the same facility to most of its Caribbean neighbours. These small nations would have otherwise found the going tough, given the fact that oil prices have been rising for the last couple of years.

After Chavez won the latest referendum in 2004, Caracas and Havana signed another agreement, under which Venezuela increased the supply of oil to Cuba to 90,000 barrels a day. In return, Cuba agreed to increase the number of doctors, health workers and teachers to 40,000. The agreement came at a time when the Bush administration was further tightening the economic blockade against Cuba.
(snip/...)

http://www.flonnet.com/fl2216/stories/20050812000706200.htm

[kskiska]

9. Che lives n/t

[Zynx]

10. I personally like Lula's approach in Brazil.

He is straightening out the country's horrible fiscal mess while still atempting to provide for his citizens. This has pleased both the populace of the country and ironically financial markets as well.

[1932]

16. Lula told Chavez that business owners in brazil are basically patriotic

which has helps him a great deal.

Chavez says that in Venezuela, the largest companies are usually a front operation of a few people in caracas and they ship all their profits abroad, to Miami and, no doubt, Switzerland. So the most powerful people in Venezuela don't have a deep interest in seeing the country function properly.

In the same way embedded reporters end up sympathizing with the people they see every day, whether that's the US Army in Iraq, or storm victims in N.O., business people who don't have strong connections to other Venezuelans don't care if other Venezuelans life sucks. And Brazil has the good fortune of having business leaders who understand that it's good to help their poor fellow citizens.

I believe I read that in this book: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1920888004/qid=1126577015/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-0913486-6351016?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

[Marr]

11. Bolivia's government has been unstable for years.

Long before Chavez became president. I was down there myself in 2000 or so, and I have a few friends from there. They were very uncomfortable with the way things were going- fearing for the safety of their families in what they were sure was a coming revolution- and several actually left the country.