By: Boaventura de Sousa Santos
Much has been written about the confusion of the left, about its paralysis in the face of the advance of the extreme right, about its internal decisions that only weaken it, about shooting itself in the foot by destroying allies and alliances, in short, about its lack of alternative. This is not the time for prolonged reflections on how we got here and how we are going to get out. But there are urgent decisions to make to demonstrate to the Latin American people that the left is still alive and is on the side of the people martyred by the cost of living and suffocated by a predatory financial system. This moment has arrived and it is necessary to make decisions.
Marco Rubio has started a tour of Latin American countries. We all know him. He is a leader of Cuban descent who has made a career in politics with a single objective: to destroy the hope that Fidel Castro brought to the Cuban people. It has the same idea of Latin America as the Monroe Doctrine in 1823: Latin America is a territory under US influence and nothing can happen there that endangers the interests of the United States in the region. At that time, the enemy to keep out of Latin America was Europe. Two centuries later, the enemy is China.
The official rhetoric of the visit is well known. Marco Rubio comes to explain to Latin American governments that Trump's policy, although bombastic, is respectful of treaties and diplomacy and that ways of accommodation with mutual benefits will be possible as long as certain rules are respected that, in the end, They will be the same as always.
But the reality is very different. Rubio comes to Latin America with three objectives. Firstly, divide the Latin American countries, preventing common positions that strengthen negotiations like Big Brother. Import tariffs will be the main instrument to fragment Latin America. Only the division of countries will allow the diplomacy between unequals that he proposes.
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, has paradigmatically declared that he is willing to discuss "one on one" with the US, that is, between equals. It is a noble wish, but it will be difficult for Latin American countries to achieve it on their own, even if everyone wants it.
The second objective is to neutralize China's influence on the continent. This is the most difficult objective because the US has nothing to offer that compares to what China has "offered" to consolidate its designs as an ascending empire.
Third, Rubio is beginning the process of neutralizing (and eventual destruction) of the BRICS+, especially in financial terms, since any alternative currency to the dollar (which central banks trust less and less for their reserves) will precipitate the collapse. US economic In this third objective, Brazil is the big target.
It does not take much geostrategic analysis to conclude that, whatever the differences between the left, none of these objectives are convenient for the left because in the long term it will mean a further deterioration in the standard of living of already too vulnerable populations. History teaches us that when Latin American countries gained the ability to maneuver or relative autonomy compared to the United States, it was when they managed to better meet the needs of the most vulnerable social classes. The first decade of the 21st century is demonstrating this.
Therefore, the left now has the opportunity to stop being bewildered and find its "north." His north is the usual enemy, which now arrives in the person of Marco Rubio. It will be the wolf among the flock, or the wolf in sheep's clothing. Choose the fable, but reality does not deceive.
For this reason, the left must let its government diplomatically receive a ruler from another country, but must take to the streets to shout loud and clear that neither Trump nor Rubio are welcome on the continent. Because any agreement that satisfies Rubio will be detrimental to the Latin American people. The streets must once again be left-wing and this is a sovereign opportunity to win them back. It is a minimalist objective, but that is why it can be organized in the short term, it can be massive and have a political impact in the short and medium term.
We must remember that in countries like Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Bolivia there are elections next year and Ecuador this year. It is crucial not to let Rubio become normalized with a political friend who even speaks our language. De-Rubialising Latin America should be the most important slogan. If the left does not give a strong signal now that it exists, it will hardly do so when people are ready to go to the polls after a year of blondeization.
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