Uruguay's Leader May Join 'Responsible Left' Bloc
Andres Oppenheimer
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José "Pepe" Mujica, the 74-year-old president-elect who
comes from the extreme left wing of outgoing President
COLORFUL PERSONALITY
Making the most of the fact that he never attended college, in part because he spent 14 years in jail for his urban guerrilla activities, his plain talk and penchant for using bad words in public most often draws smiles from friends and foes alike.
At a private birthday party for former President
"Mujica is not a classic socialist, because he doesn't idolize the state's intervention in the economy," Sanguinetti told me. "Rather, he is an agrarian romantic who believes in a bucolic utopia."
At the most, some at the party expressed concern that
Others worried that some of Mujica's hard-line aides -- including his
wife and former fellow guerrilla
`NOTHING WILL CHANGE'
"Over the surface, nothing will change," one of the guests told me. "But under the surface, they will try to erode the country's system of checks and balances to create conditions for their socialist revolution."
In a separate interview a few days later, former President
He cited the case of
"Marenales' opinions has left many of us worried, because he is a leader of the [Tupamaro] movement," Lacalle told me. He added, however, that "it wouldn't be elegant nor patriotic for me to make gloomy forecasts ahead of time."
Under outgoing president Vazquez,
Senator-elect Pedro Bordaberry, another opposition candidate who ran
against Mujica in last year's elections, told me that even if Mujica or
his hard-line aides tried to veer this country into radical populism,
they would have a hard time trying to impose their will on
"Each of Mujica's 50 congressmen thinks that he will have the deciding vote," Bordaberry told me. "That will force Mujica to broaden his base, and seek support from outside his party."
My opinion: Mujica is likely to be a pragmatic leader, whose main
challenge will be to modernize this country without much personal
knowledge about how the global economy works, nor -- except for Vice
President
But, in the big scheme of things,
That's good news for the region, because these countries are proving
to be much more successful in promoting growth and reducing poverty than
the narcissist-Leninist leaders of
Corruption Puts Argentines in Sour Mood
Andres Oppenheimer
Contrary to what one might think, the general sense of hopelessness is not due to the economy. Argentina has sailed through the world economic crisis relatively unscathed thanks to high commodity prices, and economists project a growth of at least 4 percent this year. Rather, it's because Argentines see no way out for the massive political corruption
Latin America's Economy Risks a Chicken's Flight in 2010
Andres Oppenheimer
The good news is that Latin American economies are expected to do reasonably well in 2010. But economists warn that unless they become more competitive, their recovery will look like a chicken's flight -- they get a few feet off the ground, and fall
Latin America: For Trade, Obama Doesn't Look South
Andres Oppenheimer
The Obama administration's first big move on international trade is good news for Asia, but it doesn't bode well for much of Latin America.
Latin America: For Chavez, Money no Longer Buys Love
Andres Oppenheimer
Venezuela's narcissist-Leninist President Hugo Chávez is not getting his money's worth for the billions of dollars he is spending in public relations abroad: According to a new poll, his approval ratings in Latin America could hardly be worse.
U.S. May Take New Look at 'War on Drugs'
Andres Oppenheimer
In a tacit admission that current U.S. anti-drug policies are not working, the House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill to create an independent commission to review whether the U.S. anti-drug policies of the past three decades in Latin America are producing positive results. What's interesting about the planned independent drug policy commission ...
U.S. May Take New Look at 'War on Drugs'
Andres Oppenheimer
In a tacit admission that current U.S. anti-drug policies are not working, the House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill to create an independent commission to review whether the U.S. anti-drug policies of the past three decades in Latin America are producing positive results. What's interesting about the planned independent drug policy commission ...
Brazil, United States, OAS Flunked Honduras Test
Andres Oppenheimer
Brazil, the United States and the Organization of American States deserve a gold medal each for their awful handling of recent presidential elections in Honduras. Let's examine how the main international players behaved ...
New Corruption Ranking Says a Lot
Andres Oppenheimer
A new survey on corruption around the world confirms what many of us have long suspected: Fiery populist leaders who rise to power vowing to eradicate corruption often end up leading sleazier governments than their predecessors
Latin America Sends Few Students to United States
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer
While looking at a new report on foreign students at U.S. universities, it's hard not to conclude that the gap among developing nations is widening: While Asian countries are sending more students to some of the world's best colleges, Latin American countries are lagging behind
Latin America: Street Blockades Breed 'Anything-Goes' Culture
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer
The street blockades that almost paralyzed Mexico City and Buenos Aires in recent days, interrupting traffic and keeping millions of people from going to work, are becoming a major economic problem. But their invisible costs may be larger than their immediate monetary impact
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