Symposium Explores Latin American Governments

Author: Laura Rockefeller

This past weekend the Alianza Latinoamericana y CaribeÒa (ALC) symposium entitled "Resurgence of Leftist Governments in Latin America" presented all sorts of events from lectures to a Latin dance party.
One of the speakers who participated in the symposium was internationally acclaimed writer and photographer Margaret Randall, who spoke on "The Resurgence of a Political Left in Latin America."
Randall, who spent many years living in Cuba and Nicaragua, has written over 60 books drawing on her experiences abroad, including "Walking to the Edge" (1991), "Sandino's Daughters" (1995), "Coming Up for Air" (2001) and "When I Look Into the Mirror and See You" (2002). She has received particular acclaim for her work in trying to bridge cultural divides and for the insights that her writing presents into the effects of society on women.
At the beginning of the lecture Randall presented to her small but very enthusiastic audience the way that America's image on the world stage has changed since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Her feelings about the current president and the way that he has presented himself on the world stage became very clear when she commented, "I'm not saying the United States is a dictatorship, but I am saying that George W. Bush is a dictator." She commented that the dubious way Bush came to power is more reminiscent of a political coup than a democratic election. America's image has become very problematical abroad while Bush has been in office because, she explained, in terms of the war with Iraq, "Bush and his cronies are on one side, and world popular opinion is on the other."
Randall commented that it's difficult to discuss the political situation in Latin America in the United States because people in the United States have such a limited knowledge of the events that are taking place in countries like Argentina. She said that few Americans are aware that four of America's top CEOs control more wealth than the GNP of the world's 42 poorest nations. "We have a tendency in the press here when there's a big explosion in a Latin American country to report on it briefly, and then we never have follow-up on those sorts of situations," she said. Despite the limited information Americans have through the press here, there is a growing group of Latin American countries that now have a more or less progressive government.
One of the developments in the politics of Latin America that Randall has found most exciting is the growing number of cross-border political movements. She explained that, following on the model of the successful Cuban revolution, there has been a "shift in both the focus and form of this left political organization."
She said these new movements are still problematic because even groups that have very high ideals can become corrupt. Even "progressive and popular movements may end up unable to address the issues of their people's poverty and marginalization," but at least an awareness of these problems is growing, she remarked.
As regionalism supplants nationalism, Randall said that the "economy is no longer divorced from cultural identity." This has been very powerful in countries where the movement from independence from economic domination by the United States has joined itself to other progressive movements, such as the feminist movement.
She commented that some of these cross-border movements may "hold more answers than progressive governments."
When asked after the lecture to elaborate more on the feelings of people in Latin American countries toward America since Sept. 11, she explained, "Since 9/11 I've been to different parts of Latin America maybe 15 times and there is an overwhelming sense of tremendous sympathy, but at the same time there is a hope that the United States will realize that people all over the world have suffered from the same kinds of atrocities."