Web Letters: Latin America's Shock Resistance

The article is a good read, but way too optimistic for me. For every positive change toward democratic socialism that the article sites, there are any number of privatizing and culturally negligent changes that are not mentioned, and are all too real to ignore. This for me takes a great deal out of Klein’s perspective. She’s right, Latin America has grown tired of the United States’ influence and power, changes are being made that counter 100+ year traditions such as School of the Americas and the banana republic diplomacy; these are changes that have been fermenting popularly since the '80s and, for some, much longer. But there are new transformations occurring based on transcapitalist models that are not being countered and not being fully understood yet.

I know what is happening in Nicaragua first-hand, so it’s the only place that she mentions that I can write about--and she is entirely mistaken. Much of the beautiful, untouched beach front property on the Pacific has been purchased by foreign wealth, primarily US development contractors and (small pieces) retirees. The once-untouched rain forests of the country have been deforested. At the current rate of deforestation, most of Nicaragua will be desert in the very near future. On paper the rate of deforestation has lowered, but in reality a great deal of illegal deforestation continues, even under Sandinista watch--the money is too easy.

The entire cultural landscape has been transformed and continues to loose the identity it once had. In parallel with the communal organizations that she cites (primarily in South America), there are any number of private tourism companies established. In some cases tourism is managed by government, but it remains one of the largest private markets in Latin America. Nicaragua is trying to emulate Costa Rica’s tourism industry, an industry that overwhelms any cultural tradition, because culture is transformed into mere spectacle. I hate to use this sort of neo-Marxist language, but I’ve watched it happen first-hand and in real time. The transformation and loss of tradition is immediate. Perhaps tourism that caters to US tourist expectations is the new world bank, is that any better? It might be financially, but not culturally.

Daniel Ortega is an ignorant example of the rise of the left in Latin America. Ortega was elected as president only because his party’s majority (the Sandinistas in the National Assembly) changed the constitution to lower the percentage of votes so that a run-off between the two top candidates would not be required. The percentage was lowered to what Ortega had been at every previous election in which he tried to retake the presidency--that’s every election since loosing to Violeta. I don’t recall the exact numbers, but for explanation, lets say that previously if no candidate received 40 percent of the vote, a run-off would be necessary between the two top candidates; one of these has always been Ortega, and each time he lost. Now the winning percentage has been lowered to what he generally gets, about 35 percent and a run-off will occur only if that winning percentage isn’t a clear 5 percent higher than the next best. In a twelve-party race, with the Sandinistas being the most powerful and wealthiest party, Ortega arranged the numbers to what he needed.

In order to win the Christian vote, the Sandinista-led National Assembly made all forms of abortion illegal in October 2006. Within the first two weeks of the new law, the first victim died, a young woman who could live only if she underwent an abortion. She did not have a choice, and both she and her unborn child died. I know this because my cousin, a doctor in Nicaragua who fights for women’s rights, spoke at the UN and cited this case so the UN would seek to have the abortion law repealed.

And as for these financial programs that allow countries to not borrow from the World Bank, one must still follow the money and see where it ends up. Last year, presidents, Ortega and Chavez made a business agreement: the largest oil refinery in Latin America is to be built off the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua. In five years that refinery will not be nationalized, it will be owned by the Ortega family… And the blackouts in Nicaragua are worse than they have ever been, the only difference is that now they are regularly scheduled, a small improvement.

Actually the more I consider the article the angrier I get! It’s entirely one-sided, it describes a forming utopia south of the US border. Countries that prosper due to their newfound independence--and this simply isn’t true. Klein apparently has no clue about some of the back-room deals being made by these leaders that she makes into heroes. Her article makes me wonder if she’s traveled to Nicaragua and if so, where did she stay, whom did she talk to and what cosmetic version of reality was she given. I’d like to believe in her perspective, but it’s incredibly short-sighted. It wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t know that many people read her writing and believe it or consider it enlightening, when there is so much missing that it is irresponsible.

Ricardo Miranda

Brooklyn, NY

Informative, educative, inspiring and so hopeful--how often do you get that in journalistic coverage of a continent's politics? Thank you so very much for the brilliant work you do, Naomi.

Enzo Piccone

Celano, L'Aquila, Italy