Is Latin America Really Turning Left? by James Petras
By 2006 a new configuration emerged in which national polarizations to a significant extent overshadowed social class divisions. The new international divide found the EU and the US on one side and Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia on the other. This primary polarization finds expression in Latin America between, on the one hand, a "New Right" neo-liberal pole of ex-leftists and pseudo-populist and Central and South American clients, and, on the other hand, of national-populists in Bolivia-Venezuela. In between are a large group of countries, which can move in either direction. The "New Right-Free Market" advocates include the Lula regime in Brazil, the outgoing President Fox in Mexico, five Central American regimes, the Vazquez government inm Uruguay, the Uribe "State Terrorist" regime in Colombia, the Bachelet and soon-to-depart Toledo governments in Chile and Peru.
"In between" is the Kirchner government in Argentina reflecting a desire to deepen commercial ties with Venezuela, neutralize internal nationalist-populist pressures and promote a mixed national-foreign capitalist alliance with the US, EU and China. Ecuador,the Caribbean countries, Nicaragua and possibly Peru are sites of competition.
Outside of Europe and North America, in the non-aligned movement, China, Russia, Iran and some of the Arab oil producing states have taken overtly or discretely the side of the Cuban-Venezuelan-Bolivian nationalist alliance.
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