US Elections, Latin America and 21st Century Socialism

By: Hugo Marcelo Balderrama - 24/09/2024

Guest columnist.
Share:     

On November 5, Americans will go to the polls to elect a new president. Initially, the battle was between Joe Biden, who was seeking re-election, and Donald Trump, who aspired to return to the White House.

However, Biden, after his undeniable mental health problems, declined his candidacy. This action left the dispute between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, will Trump achieve a second term or will a woman become president of the United States for the first time?

I don't know. I'm not going to fall into the politically correct mania either. That is, I'm not going to celebrate Harris' candidacy based exclusively on her being a woman. In fact, I don't think anyone should do that, because politicians should be judged by their ideas and plans, never by what they have between their legs. In that sense, let's analyze a couple of things that Hispanic voters should consider before going to the polls.

In December 1994, in Miami, 34 heads of state from across the Americas met to articulate a vision of integration, progress and development that would include all three Americas. The First Summit produced a Declaration of Principles and a Plan of Action signed by all the leaders who attended. The objective of the document was to expand prosperity through economic integration and free trade; to eradicate poverty and discrimination in the Hemisphere; and to ensure sustainable development and environmental protection.

At that time, the only dictatorship in power was Fidel Castro's Cuba, and the threat of communism was buried beneath the rubble of the Berlin Wall. Thus, it seemed that the region's entry into the 21st century would be smooth and without any major concerns other than economic development, commercial integration and taking advantage of technological progress.

However, two events occurred that changed the course of the region: 1) the victory of Hugo Chávez in the Venezuelan elections of 1998, 2) the criminal attack on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.

Chavez's rise to power in Venezuela was the breath of fresh air that Castroism needed, since Fidel had access to Venezuelan oil revenues to expand his criminal structure throughout the region.

They began by overthrowing the governments of Jamil Mahuad in Ecuador, Eduardo Duhalde in Argentina and Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada in Bolivia, because, under the pretext of “People’s Diplomacy,” Chávez and Castro financed every criminal organization in the region. To give an example, during the coup d’état of October 2003, which the rebels call the “Gas War,” there were nearly 700 combatants from the FARC and the ELN in Bolivia, both guerrilla organizations born in Colombia and, demonstrably, financed by drug trafficking.

The September 11 attacks sparked the War on Terror, led by the United States, NATO members, and nearly 50 other allies, with the goal of ending international terrorism by eliminating terrorist groups and all those suspected of belonging to these groups and ending state sponsorship of terrorism.

It became US foreign and domestic policy. President George W Bush used the phrase Axis of Evil to describe countries supporting terrorism, initially Iraq, Iran and North Korea, to which Libya, Syria and Cuba were added. Later Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan were added to the list. Thus, they neglected what was happening to their southern neighbours, who were rapidly being captured by 21st Century Socialism, which, among other things, handed over entire nations to the great transatlantic dictatorships of Russia, China and Iran.

Three decades after the First Summit of the Americas, the situation is as follows: four Castro-Chavista dictatorships in force: Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Bolivia, and several governments that, although they still have a certain democratic institutionality, put their entire foreign policy at the service of 21st Century Socialism, for example, Mexico.

The economic results are evident, with 8 million Venezuelans fleeing poverty. In addition, more than 2 million Bolivians are expected to leave the country from 2025 onwards, and several of the Andean nation's neighbours have already issued migration alerts. And no, it is not a mistake or the sum of them, but rather macabrely concocted plans, since it is about using forced migration as a chain of transmission of social conflicts. Something that Chile already experienced in 2019 and the United States itself, especially on the southern border, for several years.

How should Hispanics vote next November?

With reason and heart. Reason to choose someone who plans to protect the borders of that great nation. With heart to vote for someone who wants to fight those who have kidnapped their countries of origin.

«The opinions published herein are the sole responsibility of its author».