Versión Español
EspañolI’ve been accused of being too much of a cynic and a forecaster of gloom and doom. My accusers may have a point, but there are real things to be concerned about, and real solutions are few and far between. The far left, the socialists, have entrenched themselves so deeply and broadly in Latin America that it may be impossible to stop them — at least not through traditional means.
While much of the focus is on the Bolivarian Alliance and its growing influence, the truth is that Latin America has gone so far left towards Marxism that what was once considered the “center” is commonly referred to as the “extreme right” or “ultraconservative.” It is now common place to expect government subsidies, central planning, and mountains of regulation — all hallmarks of socialism and its evil twin, communism.
Leaders in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Argentina, among others, are working to eliminate the very same democratic processes that led them to power so they can push their nations into full blown communism alongside Cuba. However, it is important to understand their real goal is not just socialism/communism in their own countries; their goal is a unified single Latin-American country, under the rule of communism.
The current administration in Washington, D.C., is facilitating this transition by eliminating the Monroe Doctrine, as noted in an editorial piece here with the PanAm Post.
Pay special attention to the comments by Heritage Foundation research associate Ana Quintana:
By failing to specifically call out the most flagrant violators of democracy, human rights, and economic freedom, Secretary Kerry is jeopardizing America’s role as the champion of democracy in the region and inadvertently legitimizing the Bolivarian Alliance. The regimes governing Cuba, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Argentina should be publicly condemned for their assault on democracy.
The left has used democracy well. They have used it to elect leaders using emotion and empty arguments to obtain power. Then they have used that power to not only entrench their ideology in education and communications, but also to attack the very fundamental building blocks of democracy: private property and private business.
However, they won’t stop there. They will continue to find any excuse to regulate and control what occurs on private property in order to justify greater government control over private lives.
Socialism is sold as the poor man’s elixir for all that ails him. It is, however, a poison that will kill the poor man and all who drink. Watching Latin America descend into the depths of socialism reminds me of what it must have been like for the followers of the Jim Jones cult, as they were forced to drink cyanide-laced flavor-aid juice. Those who did not want to drink were forced too or shot.
That is exactly the dark kind of place these countries are going.
No one took Adolf Hitler seriously when he spoke of the things he wanted to do in Germany. I see the same disbelief in South America today. Yet, the promise of the Bolivarian Alliance is exactly that: the unification of all South America. The fact that it is being led by socialists and communists gives a clear indication of what kind of government will be implemented when it is all said and done.
The unfortunate reality is that for those who believe in liberty and democracy, the time for polite conversation and rational debate may be ending too quickly as they adapt to the new reality. That reality is what President Nicolas Maduro ordered in the last two weeks, the army taking over private businesses over alleged price gouging. In other words, military force, used to punish civilians whose primary crime was to oppose the regime and its economic policies.
This week, Maduro ascended to the realm of dictator, upon the Venezuelan legislature granting him special authorities — essentially giving him the power to rule by decree. With this new power, his use of the military to enforce his and former President Chávez’s vision will only increase. Given that, the only options left for many Latin Americans are to get out (especially my friends in Venezuela) or prepare to resist with force the growing power of the evil Bolivarian Alliance.
The need for people who support liberty across Latin America to unify into a single group has grown exponentially. Perhaps it is time to create a Liberty Alliance for South America to counter the threat.
