International Viewpoint - online socialist magazine

The greatest statesman of the last half-century

Guillermo Almeyra — 2017-01-04T14:30:59Z

Fidel Castro was by far the greatest statesman of this last half century. He was also the last of the great revolutionary leaders of the democratic revolutions of national liberation that began in 1910 with the Chinese, Persian and Mexican revolutions and during and after the Second World War led to the independence and unity of China and the independence of the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia, Indochina, the African colonies, Nasser's Egypt and Algeria.

- In Memoriam - Obituaries and appreciations / Obituary, Cuba

An illegitimate regime, a success that prepares triumphs

Guillermo Almeyra — 2015-06-09T11:46:54Z

After the electoral battle of June 7, 2015, the picture in Mexico is as follows: a 55% abstention rate that makes the “party” of non-voters (whether abstaining consciously or through lack of interest) the majority group by far. If we take the almost 5.5% of voters who chose to consciously spoil their vote along with blank votes representing a little less than 10% of the 45% who voted, or about 4% of the electoral roll, and add this sum to the 55% of abstainers, this brings the total of protest no votes to almost 60% (i.e., 6 out of every 10 Mexicans).

- IV485 - June 2015 / Mexico

The challenge after Chavez

Guillermo Almeyra — 2013-04-25T17:36:11Z

Newly elected Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro set as his objective equalling and even exceeding the vote scored by Hugo Chávez by getting 10 million votes, but he succeeded in obtaining only 7,505,338, losing 600,000 votes in relation to Chavez's vote at the last election and winning by only 300,000 votes, with 50.6% against 49.07% for his opponent Capriles. Abstention was only a little higher, rising from 20 to 22%, which shows that the majority of votes lost by Maduro went directly to the opposition which, imitating Chávez and disputing his heritage, succeeded in winning over a sector of the previously Chavista middle class and even some working class sectors.

- IV459 - April 2013 / Venezuela

Unasur, Mercosur, ALBA and integrationist initiatives after Chavez

Guillermo Almeyra — 2013-03-22T21:24:07Z

Hugo Chavez was, even with his errors and deficiencies as large as his historical figure, by far the most radical and steadfast among all the so-called “progressive” governments of Latin America and of all the politicians of this sector on our continent. He was able to evolve, to feel the popular influence, to respond to adversities with fight and tenacity and, although he rested on an apparatus â€” in particular, in the armed forces â€” he did not depend on it either to elaborate nor carry out policies. In a continent of caudillos, although himself a caudillo who measured everything with reference to his person and saw the organization of the workers as own emanation (for that reason he said that “the unions are counter-revolutionary”), he was not only a caudillo.

- IV458 - March 2013 / Latin America

Falklands fever and anti-imperialism

Guillermo Almeyra — 2012-05-16T06:09:50Z

First of all, a premise. The Malvinas (called the Falkland Islands by the British) are Argentine because they were occupied by force, populated by foreign settlers and maintained under British occupation from the beginning of the 19th century, in 1833. Since then, Argentine governments have regularly denounced this theft.
However, the demand for the return of the Malvinas has only been at the forefront of national politics in two periods: in 1982 at the beginning of the death agony of the military dictatorship, when it was being unsettled by strikes, demonstrations and mass movements, and now, under the second presidential term of Cristina Fernandez Kirchner. In fact, she said and did nothing important about this subject during her first term, or when she was a Senator under the presidency of Menem. All the dictatorships from 1955 to 1976, like the governments of Perón and Peronism showed no concern with the Malvinas.

- IV448 - May 2012 / Argentina, National question

A dangerous and contradictory document

Guillermo Almeyra — 2010-11-30T12:56:52Z

In preparing, for April 2011, its Sixth Congress, the Cuban Communist Party (PCC) has published a document on economic and social questions which, for friends of the Cuban revolution, gives rise to strong concerns, and for the population of island is a brutal and demoralizing blow. Unfortunately, outside of the enemies of the revolutionary process, who have welcomed the difficulties it is experiencing, it is hard to find any analysis or opinions about the course being taken by the Cuban revolution, whose role is decisive for the process of liberation of all Latin America. That is why, within the limits of a short article, I would like to put forward some general considerations, a rapid examination of what seems to me to be most dangerous in the document of the CCP and also some brief thoughts on what could be an alternative orientation to this document.

- IV430 - November 2010 / Cuba

Oligarchic resistance to popular struggles is growing

Guillermo Almeyra — 2009-07-25T12:22:48Z

The recent coup in Honduras is part of a growing trend for the oligarchy in Latin America to resort to sabotage and vioence against popular movements and left leaning governments.

- IV414 - July 2009 / Latin America, Honduras

At the crossroads

Guillermo Almeyra — 2007-11-26T23:12:53Z

All the fuss over the incident provoked at the Ibero-American Summit in Santiago, Chile by Franco's Bourbon godson is nothing more than a smokescreen designed to divert attention from attempts to destabilize the democratic and constitutional government of Venezuela and at the same time, a part of this attempt.

- IV394 - November 2007 / Venezuela