Juanson World

Many who follow Latin American politics often complain that there simply isn't enough attention paid to the region in the North American press. Well, since this blog took a hiatus - almost four months, I'm afraid - one would be hardpressed to come up with a legitimate gripe in this regard. Venezuela and Chavez have received more press than ever, and the Evo victory in Bolivia was huge worldwide news. A common theme among this coverage has been the idea that there is a "leftward wave" of presidents and ideologies that is sweeping Latin America, with Chavez, Castro and Evo steering this ship, their black gold of oil windfalls the wind in their masts.

I attended a talk by Michael Shifter yesterday, who elucidated a point that I agree with completely: the fact that Argentina, Chile, and Brazil are negotiating with Chavez has to be interpreted from a pragmatic perspective. There does not exist one "left" which is fueled by Chavez; rather, a moderate brand of governing demonstrated by Lagos, Lula, and Kirschner, which continues to employ economic pragmatism in setting its policy agenda. It is too easy to use Chavez as a lens from which to view the region, since his brand of autocratic populism screams for media attention and lends itself to such witty catchphrases as the recent Foreign Policy cover dubbing him "Hugo Boss."

I implore those who are eagerly following the myriad elections to consider each individually, with distinct domestic and regional electoral issues, paramount among them being the reduction of poverty and inequality, which cuts across ideologies and remains the most pressing concern for the majority of Latin Americans.