LABOUR HUB EDITORS
By Nick MacWilliam
JULY 2, 2024
Amid the recent far right surge across Europe, the growing likelihood of a second Trump presidency and Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza, the neoliberal system’s legitimacy is in tatters. In these turbulent and traumatic times, it is – as always – the Global South that provides hope of an alternative world and shows the path ahead.
Unlike in North America and Western Europe, progressive governments are in the majority across Latin America, with the recent landslide election of Mexico’s Claudia Scheinbaum further evidence of the regional left’s endurance. However, the case of Argentina, where ultra-right president Javier Milei is imposing brutal austerity on the population, is a stark reminder that reactionary forces are still a major threat.
These are among the topics under discussion in Alborada’s upcoming event ‘The Past and Present of US Imperialism: Lessons from Latin America,’ which takes place at the Bedford Tavern in north London on Monday 8th July. Alborada editor Pablo Navarrete is joined by authors Matt Kennard and Victor Figueroa Clark to discuss the new edition of their respective books The Racket: A Rogue Reporter vs The American Empire (Bloomsbury, 2024) and Chile’s Allende: Life and Revolutionary Legacy (LeftWord Books, 2023).
The discussion will explore the lessons of Latin American political history, including Chile under Salvador Allende, for today’s global left and those resisting US imperialism across the world. Other themes likely to be covered include the recent failed coup in Bolivia, Israel’s horrific assault on the Palestinian people – committed with full backing of the US and UK – the case of recently-released journalist Julian Assange and the UK general election being held four days before the event.
Matt has reported extensively on Latin America, including an interview last year with Bolivia’s former president Evo Morales. The 26th June coup attempt in Bolivia, which possesses some of the world’s largest lithium reserves, stirred up memories of the 2019 toppling of the country’s democracy. Now, Evo Morales has accused current president Luis Arce of instigating the latest incident. What are the implications for the region?
Meanwhile, as many in Chile nervously await a 2025 election that could result in a far right victory, Victor will analyse the performance of Gabriel Boric’s government and the legacy of 2019’s massive uprising against the neoliberal model installed during the Pinochet dictatorship. We will also look at achievements and challenges in Lula’s Brazil and Petro’s Colombia, and the ongoing anti-imperialist resistance in countries such as Cuba and Venezuela.
This is the latest event by Alborada, which was founded 15 years ago to provide a progressive perspective on Latin American politics, culture and media. It’s sister outlet, Alborada Films, produces documentaries on social-political issues in Latin America and elsewhere.
My documentary Santiago Rising tells the story of the Chilean social explosion of 2019, the largest protests ever witnessed in the country, and is available to stream or buy via Alborada Films. Pablo Navarrete has also just released his new documentary Mother, Country – learn more about it here.
Nick MacWilliam is a documentary maker and journalist and Trade Unions and Programmes Officer at Justice for Colombia.
Image: Claudia Sheinbaum. Source: MX TV ALFOMBRA MONUMENTAL. Author: Secretaría de Cultura Ciudad de México from México, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Amid the recent far right surge across Europe, the growing likelihood of a second Trump presidency and Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza, the neoliberal system’s legitimacy is in tatters. In these turbulent and traumatic times, it is – as always – the Global South that provides hope of an alternative world and shows the path ahead.
Unlike in North America and Western Europe, progressive governments are in the majority across Latin America, with the recent landslide election of Mexico’s Claudia Scheinbaum further evidence of the regional left’s endurance. However, the case of Argentina, where ultra-right president Javier Milei is imposing brutal austerity on the population, is a stark reminder that reactionary forces are still a major threat.
These are among the topics under discussion in Alborada’s upcoming event ‘The Past and Present of US Imperialism: Lessons from Latin America,’ which takes place at the Bedford Tavern in north London on Monday 8th July. Alborada editor Pablo Navarrete is joined by authors Matt Kennard and Victor Figueroa Clark to discuss the new edition of their respective books The Racket: A Rogue Reporter vs The American Empire (Bloomsbury, 2024) and Chile’s Allende: Life and Revolutionary Legacy (LeftWord Books, 2023).
The discussion will explore the lessons of Latin American political history, including Chile under Salvador Allende, for today’s global left and those resisting US imperialism across the world. Other themes likely to be covered include the recent failed coup in Bolivia, Israel’s horrific assault on the Palestinian people – committed with full backing of the US and UK – the case of recently-released journalist Julian Assange and the UK general election being held four days before the event.
Matt has reported extensively on Latin America, including an interview last year with Bolivia’s former president Evo Morales. The 26th June coup attempt in Bolivia, which possesses some of the world’s largest lithium reserves, stirred up memories of the 2019 toppling of the country’s democracy. Now, Evo Morales has accused current president Luis Arce of instigating the latest incident. What are the implications for the region?
Meanwhile, as many in Chile nervously await a 2025 election that could result in a far right victory, Victor will analyse the performance of Gabriel Boric’s government and the legacy of 2019’s massive uprising against the neoliberal model installed during the Pinochet dictatorship. We will also look at achievements and challenges in Lula’s Brazil and Petro’s Colombia, and the ongoing anti-imperialist resistance in countries such as Cuba and Venezuela.
This is the latest event by Alborada, which was founded 15 years ago to provide a progressive perspective on Latin American politics, culture and media. It’s sister outlet, Alborada Films, produces documentaries on social-political issues in Latin America and elsewhere.
My documentary Santiago Rising tells the story of the Chilean social explosion of 2019, the largest protests ever witnessed in the country, and is available to stream or buy via Alborada Films. Pablo Navarrete has also just released his new documentary Mother, Country – learn more about it here.
Nick MacWilliam is a documentary maker and journalist and Trade Unions and Programmes Officer at Justice for Colombia.
Image: Claudia Sheinbaum. Source: MX TV ALFOMBRA MONUMENTAL. Author: Secretaría de Cultura Ciudad de México from México, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
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