November 06, 2013
Another Kind of Revolution
The Mapuche’s Struggle for the Land
In the aftermath of the inspiring popular uprising in Argentina at
the end of 2001 and the battles that blocked neoliberalism in Bolivia
from 2003-2005, the Left came to power in governments across South
America—most notably in Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil, and Bolivia—in a
series of electoral upsets that were quickly hailed as revolutions. In
hindsight, these victories prove to be less than convincing. The new
revolutionary governments institutionalized social movements, turning
them into mere appendages, they continued cutting down the rainforests
and displacing indigenous peoples in the name of progress, they
supported free trade agreements, used paramilitary or police forces
against student demonstrators, expanded the exploitation of gas, oil,
and coal, and imprisoned dissidents. Business as usual.
The cynicism of these new governments should not have come as a surprise. True revolutions do not happen overnight, and they are not delivered by politicians. The kind of transformation that ends exploitation, misery, and the destruction of the environment, and that allows people to organize their own lives and fulfill their needs in freedom and dignity comes about in an altogether different kind of way.
The cynicism of these new governments should not have come as a surprise. True revolutions do not happen overnight, and they are not delivered by politicians. The kind of transformation that ends exploitation, misery, and the destruction of the environment, and that allows people to organize their own lives and fulfill their needs in freedom and dignity comes about in an altogether different kind of way.
