On the march once again
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Analysis of the recent Latin American upsurge in the light of neo-liberal hegemonic global order
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PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN — Axis of Hope: Tariq Ali; LeftWord Books, 12, Rajendra Prasad Road, New Delhi-110001. Rs. 350.
Venkatesh Athreya
Tariq Ali, a well-known Left intellectual of Pakistani origin resident in Britain for long, has written a very important book. The print and electronic media in our country pay little attention to developments in Central and South America, obsessed as they are with the U.S., and to a lesser extent, with the major capitalist powers within the European Union. It is therefore a signal service rendered by LeftWord that they have brought out an Indian edition of Tariq Ali’s book on recent developments of interest in Latin America, first published by Verso in 2006. Appropriately subtitled “Axis of Hope”, a counter to the infamous Bushism “Axis of Evil” seeking to damn countries that defy the writ of the U.S., the book presents a sympathetic, yet, critical account of recent developments in Latin America from a broadly Left perspective. The book consists of six substantive chapters and six appendices of value.
Neo-liberal hegemony
Ali brings out the hegemony of the neo-liberal and the anti-socialist ideas in contemporary global media, and the huge role of active disinformation played by the media controlled by global capital that helps sustain this hegemony in the opening chapter. The rise to dominance of finance capital and the collapse of the erstwhile socialist regimes of USSR and Eastern Europe beginning in the late 1980s — processes in which the U.S. as an imperial power played a crucial role — and the consequent emergence of a unipolar world dominated by the U.S. led, Ali points out, to a wholesale desertion of the Left camp by a large number of intellectuals, many of whom have since played the role in the media of being loyal spokespersons and propagandists of the new hegemonic global order.
He exposes the blatant spread of untruth by most of the media in the service of the U.S. and its clients in Venezuela following the coup in 2002 against the democratically-elected government of Chavez and its pathetic attempts to cover up its role as the coup quickly unravelled in the face of a popular upsurge which restored democracy.
Democratic vision
The second chapter briefly traces the emergence of popular movements against neo-liberalism in Latin America against the background of U.S. machinations over the decades. While celebrating the triumphs of Chavez in Venezuela and Morales in Bolivia, Ali takes a dim view of Lula’s policies in Brazil, characterising them as neo-liberal. The third chapter provides a useful history of political developments in Venezuela, and traces the rise of Chavez. It brings out convincingly the pro-people nature of the policies pursued by Chavez and the consistently democratic and anti-imperialist character of his vision. It also exposes devastatingly both the bankruptcy of the opposition parties, mostly backed by the U.S., and the continued attempts at destabilisation of Venezuelan democracy by the U.S.
The next chapter provides a brief but lucid account of the history and political economy of Bolivia. It tells us of the victory of Evo Morales in the general election of December 2005 and provides a brief glimpse of his government’s pro-poor policies and the increasingly active role played by peasants and workers in shaping the future of Bolivia under the new dispensation, even as the U.S. and the domestic oligarchies fumed and fretted at the turn of events.
The fifth chapter is a largely sympathetic account of the processes and achievements of the Cuban revolution and of Fidel Castro’s historic and continuing role in defence of Latin American independence vis-À-vis American imperialism, interspersed with gentle but firm critical observations.
Historical continuity
The sixth chapter, subtitled, “The Past as Epilogue”, takes us back to the extraordinary life and political achievements of Simon Bolivar, who has inspired so many generations of Latin American revolutionaries keenly aware of the need to be wary of the superpower next door, and deeply concerned about the lives of ordinary working people including especially the indigenous population. The theme of historical continuity from Bolivar to Castro to Chavez and Morales is invoked, and the chapter ends with the argument that the choice before Latin America (and presumably the rest of the third world) is between the discredited and anti-poor Washington Consensus and “…an altogether different programme which prioritises not market values but human needs.”
The six appendices, all of which are of great interest, include two important speeches, one by Evo Morales and the other by Hugo Chavez. Appendix four, an interview given by the Chief of Staff who played a crucial role in defeating the coup against the elected government of Venezuela in April 2002, brings out the complicity and active participation of the U.S. in the failed coup.
While the narrative is by and large interesting, the frequent use of allusions may put off the reader unfamiliar with them. Also, Ali tends to underestimate the constraints under which Left-led governments often have to function, although he is quite correct in pointing out the ever-present danger of succumbing to neo-liberalism in the name of tactical flexibility. The political Left has to function very often in extremely complex conditions, and no universal set of prescriptions will be of much help. Having said this, one must thank Tariq Ali for a fine book that will both inspire and educate Left activists across the third world whose batteries have been recharged by the recent Latin American upsurge.
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