Latin America Continues March to the Left
Recent public opinion polls taken in Mexico and Peru show left-leaning candidates leading as presidential elections approach in the two countries. The current front-runners are in position to replace two close U.S. allies.
A recent Mexican public opinion poll shows leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador leading a field of presidential candidates, as the July 2 presidential election approaches. Some 42 percent of respondents supported Lopez Obrador, placing him ahead of ruling party candidate Felipe Calderon with 32 percent and Roberto Madrazo with 24 percent.
Critics of the former Mexico City mayor have branded him a populist for what they describe as handout programs during his tenure, but Lopez Obrador has also sought support from Mexico’s business elite, offering protection for industry.
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South America Continues To Drift To The Left
The election of Evo Morales, of the Movement Towards Socialism, as President of Bolivia, has consolidated the leftist trend in South America. It appears that the rightist-occurring trend started by Regan and Thatcher is on its last stages. President Bush seems to be the last champion of the right, because change is occurring all around him.
Brazil, the most powerful country in South America, has a leftist government. Venezuela, the largest producer of oil in South America, elected Hugo Chavez, a fiery leftist as its President. Argentina, another important country in South America, also
Latin America's lurch to the left
The recent inauguration in Bolivia of indigenous leader Evo Morales is being interpreted by many as a sign of a hemispheric lurch to the left. Indeed, with 12 presidential elections in 14 months, 2006 could well be a watershed for the region, recasting US policy toward its neighbors.
Yet, characterizing the region as hopelessly drifting away from US interests or as uniformly jettisoning the market economy "model" underestimates the complexity of both US relations and democracy in the region.
To look at what will be the most intense election year in Latin American history as a
A different Latin America
Bolivia's recent presidential election was almost as history making as Iraq's parliamentary vote. The winner, Evo Morales, will be the first member of the indigenous majority to run Bolivia since the conquistadors arrived nearly five centuries ago. His victory was one of the most decisive since the return of democracy more than two decades ago, ending an era of weak, unstable and ineffective governments.
But do not expect any toasts from the Bush administration. During the campaign, Morales advertised himself as Washington's "nightmare." He opposes almost everything the Bush team stands for in Latin America, from combating
Latin America's Two Left Wings
Don't confuse those leaders who spring from a communist or socialist past with those who trace their roots to old-fashioned populism.
Is Latin America swerving left? Is that the right question? Clearly, the people who are winning elections today are not the ones who won them 5, 10 or 15 years ago; their rhetoric is not the same, and their views of the world are miles apart from those who were elected in the 1980s and 1990s. But are their policies so different?.
Consider today's sitting or wanna-be left-wing heads of state: Hugo Chávez in Venezuela, Ricardo
As Latin America shifts left, U.S. risks being left behind
The Bush administration's focus on Iraq and the war on terrorism has led to a foreign policy devoid of a sophisticated understanding of diverse regional challenges beyond the Middle East. Meanwhile, Latin America has been moving to the political left through the ballot box with policy implications largely misunderstood by American policy-makers. Furthermore, in the few instances when administration pronouncements are articulated, they seem to miss the point and may in fact aggravate the increasingly tenuous relationship with the neighbors to the south. In light of recent global upheavals, the United
