It seems that peasants, Indigenous people and labour groups have, inspired by the example of Venezuelan President Hugo Ch√°vez, forced the resignation of the Bolivian President over his failure to nationalise the natural gas industry.
This will be a great disappointment to the Bushies, globalisers and free market radicals everywhere, but a great victory for the people of the global South. The Bushies must be regretting all that “democracy and capitalism go hand in hand” rhetoric, I think. What price the Monroe Doctrine now?
Let freedom reign!
*beat*
Cue: “Chavez is another Castro” comments from the usual suspects.
Some seriously interesting stuff bubbling up in South America. Keep your eye on Brazil in particular. There’s a lot more going on there now than just state-of-the-art buttocks technology. Heading that way m’self soon.
Let freedom reign!
*beat*
Cue: “Chavez is another Castro” comments from the usual suspects.
Some seriously interesting stuff bubbling up in South America. Keep your eye on Brazil in particular. There’s a lot more going on there now than just state-of-the-art buttocks technology. Heading that way m’self soon.
South America is a huge, huge story at the moment. There seems to be a catching wave of change. I just hope they can keep everything together and get thru the inevitable destabilsing backlash.
Nabob will report back, no doubt, but will he have seen anything other than the southern hemispheres?
Anyway I wish I could speak Spanish because it is often very difficult to get an idea of the unfolding developments. I alternate between La Prensa which is Castro’s outlet and various disaffected expatriates in Miami or somewhere tryingto warn the world that Chavez is the new Stalin.
(I do have some fears re Chavez, given his background and hope that Brazil and Argentina are moderating forces. I fear that the USA will ramp up the pressure to induce him to over-react. They seriously fear him. He has a huge oil weapon at his disposal.)
South America is a huge, huge story at the moment. There seems to be a catching wave of change. I just hope they can keep everything together and get thru the inevitable destabilsing backlash.
Nabob will report back, no doubt, but will he have seen anything other than the southern hemispheres?
Anyway I wish I could speak Spanish because it is often very difficult to get an idea of the unfolding developments. I alternate between La Prensa which is Castro’s outlet and various disaffected expatriates in Miami or somewhere tryingto warn the world that Chavez is the new Stalin.
(I do have some fears re Chavez, given his background and hope that Brazil and Argentina are moderating forces. I fear that the USA will ramp up the pressure to induce him to over-react. They seriously fear him. He has a huge oil weapon at his disposal.)
wbb, there’s a pro-Chavez news portal online.
wbb, there’s a pro-Chavez news portal online.
“But will he have seen anything other than the southern hemispheres?”
I will do my best to get to grips with the fundamentals.
“But will he have seen anything other than the southern hemispheres?”
I will do my best to get to grips with the fundamentals.
Thanks, Mark. Actually, that’s the one on which I have based most of my ill-considered rants on the topic. It’s a bit too close to Chavez though, is my concern. I’m very happy to go all the way with Chavez, at this stage, but I know I should be a little circumspect.
Thanks, Mark. Actually, that’s the one on which I have based most of my ill-considered rants on the topic. It’s a bit too close to Chavez though, is my concern. I’m very happy to go all the way with Chavez, at this stage, but I know I should be a little circumspect.
I posted a link in the previous post to a blog discussing the extreme bias of the US media towards Chavez. There’s another good piece on this from Counterpunch and this one on Fox News’ coverage of Venezuala.
I posted a link in the previous post to a blog discussing the extreme bias of the US media towards Chavez. There’s another good piece on this from Counterpunch and this one on Fox News’ coverage of Venezuala.
Somewhere in the pile of magazines on my desk is an article on Chavez’s military background. If I can find it I’ll send you a copy, WBB.
Somewhere in the pile of magazines on my desk is an article on Chavez’s military background. If I can find it I’ll send you a copy, WBB.
I’ve kept a few articles on Chavez. This one by Achin Vanaik probably gives the best overview. But as Vanaik says, he is vulnerable to the assassin’s bullet and you’d have to think it might happen.
I’ve got a couple of worries about him. While he is investing in education and health Joseph Frank wonders whether he is developing a sustainable economy, and whether the environment is being stuffed up in a major way.
I’d agree that Brazil is worth watching. No matter how it turns out. It is already the 10th biggest economy in the world and is, or is about to become, the world’s biggest agricultural exporter. Lula seems to be playing the power and influence game well.
Internally at the municipal level there is a widespread participative democracy movement – almost becoming established as the norm maybe.
I look forward to Nabs report.
I’ve kept a few articles on Chavez. This one by Achin Vanaik probably gives the best overview. But as Vanaik says, he is vulnerable to the assassin’s bullet and you’d have to think it might happen.
I’ve got a couple of worries about him. While he is investing in education and health Joseph Frank wonders whether he is developing a sustainable economy, and whether the environment is being stuffed up in a major way.
I’d agree that Brazil is worth watching. No matter how it turns out. It is already the 10th biggest economy in the world and is, or is about to become, the world’s biggest agricultural exporter. Lula seems to be playing the power and influence game well.
Internally at the municipal level there is a widespread participative democracy movement – almost becoming established as the norm maybe.
I look forward to Nabs report.
Bugger, that should be Joshua Frank.
Bugger, that should be Joshua Frank.
That article by Achin Vanaik is a stirring defence of Chavez, Brian! And it certainly allays my fears of him being just a soldier. I’d like to see the ABC get him on somewhere for an interview.
That article by Achin Vanaik is a stirring defence of Chavez, Brian! And it certainly allays my fears of him being just a soldier. I’d like to see the ABC get him on somewhere for an interview.
The article I’ve got is a better-translated and edited version of this paper. My copy was in Seeing Red, which is a publication of the Socialist Alliance but is far more thoughtful than Green Left Weekly, as evidenced by Humphrey McQueen’s article on The Socialist Alliance as parliamentary cretinism
The article I’ve got is a better-translated and edited version of this paper. My copy was in Seeing Red, which is a publication of the Socialist Alliance but is far more thoughtful than Green Left Weekly, as evidenced by Humphrey McQueen’s article on The Socialist Alliance as parliamentary cretinism