Ecuador will join Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Venezuela and Bolivia, in electing leftist/socialist governments whose common themes are national and regional self-determination, and rejection of U.S. and World Bank/IMF interference and domination. There is also a leftist movement in Peru (quite strong) and even in Columbia (just getting started), and, moving north, we've seen what's going on in Mexico (not just the huge protest against fascist election fraud, but also an on-going rebellion in the southern states, and the setting up of alternative state government in Oaxaca). Also (as to Central America) Nicaragua may see the election of Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega this year.
One of the keys to this tremendous movement is TRANSPARENT elections (US voters, take note!), the result of the long hard work of the OAS, the Carter Center, EU election monitoring groups and local civic groups. Latin America's vast poor population--brutally exploited for decades and centuries--is finally getting a rightful say in their countries' policies. Another key is Latin America's emergence from a period of horrid fascist governments backed by the US, and featuring (among other things) the murderous US "war on drugs" (war on the poor). Lesson learned: playing ball with the US means impoverishment of most people and torture and death for many. Chile just elected its first woman president, socialist Michele Batchelet, who was tortured by the US-backed dictator Pinochet. Bolivia's new president--their first indigenous president--socialist Evo Morales, campaigned with a wreath of coca leaves around his neck (sacred plant of the Andes, essential to survival in the frigid climate and high altitudes), against US drug policy, and against Bechtel Corp. (which had tried to privatize the water in one Bolivian city, even charging poor peasants for collecting rainwater!). Both Venezuela's and Bolivia's leftist governments have also made a major policy point of the use of the country's natural resources for the benefit of the citizens (imagine!)--particularly notable in Venezuela, which provides the US with 15% of our oil needs, and possesses large oil deposits (Chavez's government is pursuing social improvements--schools, medical clinics, community centers, small business loans for the poor--with the government's share of oil revenues, and is also establishing fair taxation of the foreign oil giants). But all of these peoples' governments in Latin America are maintaining mixed economies that combine the best features of business/trade and social needs. It is a peaceful, democratic revolution, protective of property rights and proceeding lawfully and with great popular support. There have also been startling developments in Argentina (a total revolt against the World Bank/IMF), and Brazil (elected a former steelworker as president, and led the third world revolt at the WTO meeting in Cancun several years ago). The strengthening of the Mercasor (regional economic development group), with full membership recently to Venezuela, is also a big harbinger of change. Chavez's political revolution--Bolivarianism--is taking hold. (The great South American revolutionary, Simon Bolivar, wanted a United States of Latin America--Chavez is actively pursuing regional political and economic cooperation, quite successfully.)
Which brings me to Ecuador, this article and the ways that the Bushites (and the US in general over the last decade, including Clinton) are trying to manipulate Latin American countries for the benefit of our huge, out-of-control, multinational corporations. The predators offer cheap jobs (sweatshop labor)--always only a temporary gain, because these global corporate predators will pull out the moment the workers start getting organized (taking their cheap jobs to Cambodia and other places with no worker protections)--and MILITARY/anti-drug "aid" (ways to oppress and kill poor peasants and suppress leftist political organization), and, in exchange, these poor countries are supposed to give away their natural resources to multinationals, provide markets for the dumping of US goods (which undermines and destroys local enterprise, including--critically--local food self-sufficiency), suppress worker movements, and drastically cut all social programs to benefit international banks and the richest people on earth (in onerous loans from the World Bank/IMF).
Clearly--as the rest of the article reveals--the Ecuadoran people are gearing up to reject all this crap from the US and its giant fascist partners, and to join the revolution! Reading on...
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"For Ecuador, non-renewal of ATPDEA would imply the loss of 100,000 direct jobs and 200,000 indirect jobs" Quito's envoy to the United States, Luis Gallegos, warned last June.
"While Peru and Colombia have since signed broad free trade agreements with the United States that, if ratified by the US Congress, will cushion if not eliminate any fallout from the end of ATPDEA, neither Ecuador or Bolivia have done so.
"Talks with Washington on a trade deal stalled earlier this year over Ecuadorian moves against U.S. oil company Occidental Petroleum over a contract dispute.
"Roldos also anticipated that if he wins next October 15, he will hold a national referendum on Ecuador's international trade policies and political reform.
“'I believe in a national trade strategy which does not bind us with an only associate but rather with all areas possible, be it the European Union, East Asia'.
"'It's the Ecuadorian people who must say what the guidelines on foreign trade are' added Roldos who is leading a centre-left alliance in the mid October election.
"The candidate refused to say whether he would accept or seek the resumption of the suspended trade talks with the United States."
http://www.falkland-malvinas.com/Detalle.asp?NUM=8783--------------------------
Note these points: Rejection of the bribery of cheap jobs. Peru, unfortunately, has agreed--and its corrupt government (just elected with US backing, against a strong new leftist challenger, Ollanta Humala, who is allied with Chavez and Morales) will likely send Peru the way of Argentina (into bankruptcy and unrest), and the leftists will have to pick up the pieces later on, and establish a REAL economy, after the US/corporate looting is over. The carrot is "anti-drug" money (military aid, tied in with war profiteers and arms dealers). US policy is also tied to US oil corporations, such that a contract dispute is holding up the talks between GOVERNMENTS (reps of the people--theoretically in the case of the US; our Bush Junta IS the oil industry). The solution is diversification (notice Roldos mentions expanding Ecuador's trade horizons to Europe and Asia--similar to what Chavez and others are doing, making INDEPENDENT trade alliances NOT dictated by US policy). And, finally, he says that the ECUADORIAN PEOPLE have the right to determine Ecuador's trade policy! Think about THAT!
And he's leading in the polls.
You know, it may turn out that a Hillary Clinton government is better for these US-based global corporate predators than the Bush Junta is. The Bushites can loot and kill but, in the long run, they are "losing" Latin America as an exploitable territory. The Clintons were much cleverer at exploitation. And US leftists might be so grateful to be rid the fascist Bush regime that they won't give Hillary the grief they have her husband on global free piracy "agreements" (Seattle 1999).
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