NATIONAL FIGHTBACK CONFERENCE
Latin America's struggle against neoliberalism
Excerpts from a talk by Berta Joubert-Ceci at the Nov.
13-14 National Fightback Conference.
The peoples in the countries south of the Rio Grande are
today building the strongest resistance to imperialism--more
specifically, to U.S. imperialism.
With the advance of neoliberalism and its trade agreements
in the region, the masses have responded with a sweeping
upsurge of opposition, trying to take back their countries from
capitalism.
Neoliberalism is a set of economic and political measures
imposed by the financial agents of the oppressor nations--the
International Monetary Fund, World Bank, World Trade
Organization, etc. It is important to know some of these
measures to fully understand the devastation that in turn has
awakened a response among the Latin American masses.
First of all: privatization. Every national reserve and
service must be privatized. Telecommunications, energy, health,
education, water--they all have to go to private hands, to
enterprises that are mostly transnational capital. This way the
wealth of natural resources and the basic human services ceases
to exist for the benefit of the majority of the people.
Another feature is the free flow of capital, the absence or
reduction of tariffs, and elimination of subsidies for the
country's products. This way U.S. financial capital can take
over any service very cheaply without paying any penalty.
Neoliberalism also means eliminating social safety nets.
Social security, pensions, etc., go on the chopping board.
Also, deficits must be balanced. Money once used to finance
these governmental agencies now has to be diverted to pay the
deficit and the huge external debt.
This leads to the destruction of econo mies, fewer basic
services, decrease or elim ination of social programs and
pensions, increase of prices for the basic family basket,
decrease of wages, unemployment.
Some statistics can illustrate these points. In Central
America alone, 70 percent of its 35 million people live in
poverty.
In 1980, some 120 million people in Latin America and the
Caribbean lived in poverty. At the end of 1999, the figure was
220 million.
In Argentina, a country that was presented as the IMF model,
the neoliberal policies carried out by President Carlos Menem
(1989-99) and later by Fernando de la Rúa (1999-2001)
left seven out of every 10 children in poverty. And 11,000 of
these children die every year of preventable causes.
But the images that joyously prevail are of those who have
taken up the challenge of fighting against neoliberalism. For
example, the smile of Colombian Indi genous leader Luz Perly
Cordoba, speaking of the struggle while confined in a women's
prison in Bogotá. And the many trade unionists who
defend with their lives the right to unionize.
The movement in Latin America is diverse. It is not
uniformly for socialism yet, at least not in a well-defined
way. But one common thread is that it is thoroughly
anti-imperialist, since the struggle against neoliberalism has
been the driving force in its awakening. We all remember the
glorious beginning of the Zapatistas in Chiapas.
In general, this is a new movement with different forces
than in the past. We must also remember that state terrorism
and military dictatorship have been responsible for the
decimation of communist and socialist parties in the region.
Latin America and the Caribbean as a whole is a region where
even the attempt to reform has been paid for with the blood of
thousands of its people.
In several countries, these new movements have forced the
elections of presidents who at least on paper oppose neoliberal
"free trade" agreements. This is the case in Argentina,
Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia and Uruguay. In Argentina, even though
Nestor Kirschner was elected, trade unions, piqueteros, the
Mothers of Plaza de Mayo and others continue organizing and
resisting, and there have been attempts to take over
factories.
These are just examples that show coordination of actions.
Even though they are not revolutionary and the outcome was
mainly electoral, they do show the potential of these new
forces to organize and resist.
In Vieques, Puerto Rico, a U.S. colony, the united struggle
of the people drove out the U.S. Navy, which for 60 years had
used the island for military practices.
The struggle against neoliberalism is not only on the
economic level. Imperi alism uses the military to help open up
the markets that it wants to dominate.
In Latin America we have Colombia to illustrate this
process. The oldest armed insurgency on the continent are the
Colom bian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) and the National
Liberation Army (ELN). Despite repression by the government of
Alvaro Uribe, a very close ally of the United States,
mobilizations, strikes and actions in Colombia continue to
expand.
Cuba and Venezuela offer the best avenues for and examples
of dignity and hope. Cuba has always been a safe place for
debates and conferences. Now Venezuela, with Hugo Chávez
leading the Bolivarian Revolution, has broadened this space of
debates.
To the Free Trade Area of the Americas, Venezuela has
proposed the ALBA--the Bolivarian Alternative of the Americas.
It is an anti-imperialist program of action against
neoliberalism aimed to unite the countries and the popular
movements of Latin America and the Caribbean. To that end, next
month the second Bolivarian Congress of the Peoples will take
place in Caracas.
The experience in Latin America and the Caribbean exposes
the criminal voracity of capitalism very clearly. It cannot be
reformed. It can only be replaced by a better
system--socialism, which today is more necessary and valid than
ever.
As Venezuelan President Chavez said last month, "We need to
leave behind us the horrendous capitalist system."
¡Viva el Socialismo!
Reprinted from the Nov. 25, 2004, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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