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from our war profiteering corporate news monopolies.
First of all, this peaceful, democratic, leftist (majorityist) movement in Peru is intimately connected to the leftist victories in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Argentina (and soon in Paraguay, where Fernando Lugo, the "bishop of the poor," has announced his candidacy, and will likely win the presidency this year).
This movement for Latin American self-determination, independence and social justice is sweeping the Andes region, winning election after election, and combines with leftist victories in Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Nicaragua, for a tidal wave of change over the entire continent of South America and parts of central America. Peru is sandwiched between two countries, Ecuador and Bolivia, where this social/political revolution is in full swing. (It also has a long border with Brazil, and small border strips with Chile and Colombia.) The poor in Peru can see--and are all well aware of--the benefits to the poor, to the indigenous and to the majority (the vast poor, working class and peasant farmer population) of leftist government and strong, people-oriented economic policy, in Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador (also Argentina, which is closely allied with Venezuela and the other Bolivarians).
In Bolivia, they elected their first indigenous indian as President, Evo Morales (--and he may be the first in South America--I'm not sure), and they know what he is fighting for--use of the country's rich natural resources for the benefit of the people who live there--and other social justice measures. Morales is the union leader who helped kick Bechtel Corp. out of Bolivia, after Bechtel privatized the water in one Bolivian city and then jacked up the prices to the poor (even charging the poor for collecting rainwater!).
In Venezuela, they can see that the income, education levels, medical care, housing and other needs of the poor have all dramatically improved (interestingly along with the GROWTH of the private sector), during Hugo Chavez's tenure.
In Ecuador, they can see a young knight-in-shining armor, U.S.-educated, leftist economist, Rafael Correa--also a Bolivarian--recently elected to do battle with foreign corporations, "free trade" (global corporate piracy), the murderous U.S. "war on drugs," and other hated policies imposed by the U.S.
In Argentina, they can see that regional cooperation among the Andes democracies can result in a complete turnaround of the economy, from 'Argentina, the basketcase,' caused by World Bank/IMF loan sharkism, to a healthy, thriving and creative economic and social picture.
The Peruvian poor--the vast majority--wants to join this revolution. In the last election, a young leftist politician, Ollanta Humala, came out of nowhere, with no political experience and no money backing, and won 30% of the vote in the primary election, knocking the rightwing candidate out of the race. The Bushites and Corporatists had to choose among LEFTIST candidates, for whom to back. They of course chose the highly corrupt Alan Garcia, not really a leftist--a "free tradist" (a la Clinton)--who won the election, but with the unknown Humala improving his vote count by 15% to a final count of 45% of the vote. Between the primary and the general election, Humala received the endorsement of the indigenous president of Bolivia, Evo Morales (note: Humala is also 100% indigenous) and Hugo Chavez, of Venezuela. The U.S. State Department and its lapdog corporate press played this (that Humala lost the election) as a loss for the left--and especially for Morales and Chavez. They said that Peruvians resented "interference" from neighboring leaders. They said Morales and Chavez "lost" Humala votes. But what in fact occurred is that they gained him 15% of the votes! Those new votes didn't come from the right--they more than likely came from an activated indigenous population in remote locations in the Andes mountains, who don't have any particular reverence for colonial-imposed borders. The notion that they would "resent" the "interference" of the NEW INDIGENOUS president of Bolivia, and his ally, Chavez, is absurd--and a lie. All in all, it was a stunning showing for a novice politician, and one with a significant personal handicap (his brother had gotten into trouble with an armed leftist rebel group).
The purposes of this State Dept/Corporate disinformation were several: 1) to keep U.S. citizens stupid about what's happening in South America, so we won't get any ideas here, about democracy and social justice; 2) to keep Congress stupid so as to push a Bush "free trade" deal on Peru; and 3) to continue keeping us all stupid about their plots to violently overthrow these democracies and re-install rightwing dictatorships.
They "spun" Humala's amazing "dark horse" almost-victory as evidence of Hugo Chavez's "declining influence"--the opposite of the truth.
About six months later, Ecuador held its presidential election. During his campaign, Rafael Correa was asked what he thought of Hugo Chavez's remark to the UN that Bush is "the devil." He replied that it was "an insult to the devil." He went on to win the presidency with 60% of the vote, as a known compadre of Hugo Chavez.
That's how much Chavez's popularity is "declining" in South America. Chavez himself won his election (around the same time, Dec. '06) with 63% of the vote, his biggest margin yet.
When Argentina's president, Nestor Kirchner, was pressured by Bush/U.S. to "isolate" Hugo Chavez, he responded, "But he is my friend." Just before Chavez's re-election in Venezuela in December (and close upon his remarks to the UN), Lulu da Silva, the former steelworker president of Brazil, made a point of a very public visit to Chavez, for the opening of the new Orinoco Bridge between Venezuela and Brazil. Lulu's "message" was unmistakable, and it was a message to Bush: butt out.
So now the poor and middle class of Peru--inflicted with "free trade" and also with the horrendous US/Bush "war on drugs"--and all the evils that these other, neighboring countries have been successfully addressing by electing true leftist leaders--are in revolt. It was only a matter of time. If Peruvians do the ground work on fair and aboveboard elections--as has happened in these other countries--they will elect more leftist representatives to put pressure on Garcia--on "free trade" policies in particular--and Humala or some other leftist will likely oust Garcia in the next presidential election.
Colombia will then be totally isolated as the only remaining friend of the U.S. Corporatist/Fascists, Bushites and corrupt Democrats, which have larded the extremely corrupt and criminal Uribe government with billions of our tax dollars in military aid. That's where rightwing paramilitaries, with very close ties to the Uribe government, are chainsawing union organizers, peasant farmers and political leftists, and throwing their severed parts into mass graves. That's where at least one plot to assassinate Hugo Chavez, and destabilize the Andes democracies, has been hatched. Such plots will not succeed. South America is too united against them. But that doesn't mean that these plotters, murderers, greedbags and drug traffickers, and their fascist allies in the U.S., cannot inflict more suffering before they ultimately lose South America. I hope and pray that Peruvians are spared, and that they move as swiftly as possible to join the revolution that is transforming their region in the most amazing democracy movement that the western hemisphere has seen, since the first Bolivarian Revolution and our own Revolution.
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