Monday, October 09, 2006

Latin America: Blunting the Leftist Surge

A few months ago, it was all the rage to talk about the surge of leftism in the Americas, and to fret about Mexico electing a leftist to top things off. Well, that leftist tide has not entirely subsided, but Mexico elected a conservative, and it's starting to seem possible that Brazil might as well.

What are the chances that Lula will be defeated by Alckmin in the upcoming runoff? The Brazilian real is rising as investors speculate on a Lula defeat.

If the GOP loses Congress and Bush is forced to focus even more on foreign policy than he does right now, then a win by Alckmin in Brazil would set the stage for more vigorous diplomacy in our own hemishpere.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

While not entirely down, the leftists in Latin America are smarting after the narrow defeat of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in Mexico. And Lopez Obrador has effectively wounded the Mexican left through his irresponsible post-election actions. Now, his party might lose a governor's race in his home state of Tabasco.

Hugo Chavez should keep up his belligerence so long as he doesn't have an effective opposition in Venezuela. But as oil prices inch downwards, his ability to meddle in regional affairs should diminish. Thus, expect more anti-American rhetoric.