Oliver Stone accompanied Venezuelan strong man Hugo Chavez down the red carpet this week at the Venice film festival for the premier of Stone’s newest propaganda film on the wave of “left” authoritarianism sweeping across Latin America.
Just keep in mind that the film is likely as accurate about current Latin American politics as was Stone’s explanation of the Kennedy assassination.
When will the American stalinoid left learn that the enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend? The race to embrace figures like Chavez (or even worse, Ahmadenijad or Hussein) by certain segments of the “left” is a mirror image of the policies of the US government for so many decades in Latin America and other parts of the developing world. There the US frequently chooses to back hardline violent and authoritarian forces like the Nicaraguan contras or the recent coup against the Honduran president or the failed coup attempt against Chavez himself a few years ago. This senseless policy only creates the political conditions that fuel the rise to power of pseudo-left authoritarian groups like the Sandinistas or Chavez.
Hi Stephen,
I have a few problems with your piece.
Which segments of the “left” you hint towards, raced to embrace Hussein and Ahmadenijad?
Could you define a little more precisely what you refer to as the “wave of “left” authoritarianism sweeping across Latin America”.
Do you think the projects in participatory democracy and economics appearing across Latin America have any worth?
According to a report authored by Mark Weisbrot and others at cepr looking at the last 10 years in Venezuela
“… the percentage of households in poverty has been reduced by 39 percent, and extreme poverty by more than half.
Inequality, as measured by the Gini index, has also fallen substantially. The index has fallen to 41 in 2008, from 48.1 in 2003 and 47 in 1999. This represents a large reduction in inequality.”
Do you think this should be commended and supported?