Anti-globalization, militarism and lamabotism
26/03/2002
- Opinión
There are three major forces acting in the contemporary world: the anti-
globalization movement, increasingly opposed to the dominance of Euro-U.S. capital
and imperial wars; Washington’s militarization of global and domestic political-
economy; and the increase of lamabotism among Third World leaders eager to curry
favor from Washington in exchange for loans, access to markets or simply because of
ideological servility. Each of these three tendencies are evident in recent events
and suggest that they are inter-related.
The resurgence of popular opposition to U.S. and European imperial domination is
evident throughout the world since December 2001 and continuing this year. In Porto
Alegre 70,000 participants from all over the world repudiated the dominance of
capital and promoted a variety of alternative progressive proposals for peace and
social justice. In Argentina close to three million people have been active
repudiating the local ruling class and its U.S. and European patrons, overthrowing
the first, but not the least of the lamabotista presidents. In Barcelona, Spain on
March 16, 2002 close to 400,000 people denounced neo-liberalism, capitalism and
Washington’s war preparations, defying Aznars 20,000 soldiers and police, armed
helicopters, gunboats and AWACs. In Italy on March 23, two million workers and
employees marched against Berlusconi’s neo-liberal policies, the U.S. war and
globalization. The social movements converge, uniting across borders and growing in
size and scope, linking domestic socio-economic issues with opposition to the multi-
nationals and Washington’s war plans.
In response to this popular democratic challenge from below, Washington has adopted
a dual strategy of augmenting its military spending and projecting military force
and launching a diplomatic offensive to stimulate lamabotismo among client
politicians, particularly but not exclusively in Latin America.
The Bush Administration has officially increased its military budget by close to 20
percent, almost 300 billion dollars. In the same time period it has extended new
military bases in the former Soviet Republics in Central Asia and Georgia, as well
as in Yemen, Macedonia, Kosova, Montenegro, El Salvador, Philippines, Ecuador,
Brazil, Aruba and Peru. In addition, Washington is recruiting and financing
mercenary forces to police regions of conquest, such as Turkish forces in
Afghanistan, Pakistani military on the Afghan borders, Kurds in Northern Iraq, etc.
The worldwide confrontation between the anti-globalization and popular movements and
U.S. militarism is intimately related to the growing rejection of neo-liberal
policies, and exploitation by U.S. and European banks and multi-national
corporations.
In this confrontation Washington has increasingly called on its client-rulers in the
Third world to intervene on behalf of the empire. Lamabotismo is not a new
phenomena—throughout the colonial and neo-colonial period there were leaders of
tribes, landlords, warlords and merchants willing to collaborate in the pillage of
their countries in exchange for material payoffs and privileged status among the
colonial subjects. The typical psychology of a lamabotista collaborator is
authoritarian (in the Adorno sense): at the feet of those more powerful, at the
throat of the powerless.
In recent months Washington has given the green light to its lamabotista clients in
Latin America. Appointed-President Duhalde of Argentina has pledged to vote with the
U.S. against Cuba in the U.N. and declared his willingness to send mercenary troops
to whatever war Washington declares. Washington accepts Duhalde’s pledges of
allegiance but denies him any new loans, because he operates in a political vacuum:
his subservience only increases the opposition. President Pastrana ends peace
negotiations, supports Washington’s increased control of the Colombian military
operations and continues to lose popular support and the war with the guerrillas.
President Toledo offers Washington new military bases, greater control over inland
rivers and frontiers, in exchange for nothing more than promises of greater military
loans. President Lagos offers to vote against Cuba in the U.N. (Geneva) and
support for ALCA in exchange for inclusion in NAFTA.
While these client Presidents follow the orthodox lamabotas’ line of servility for
some economic favors, Jorge Castaneda, the Mexican Foreign Minister, pursues a
heterodox lamabotista policy: he acts for U.S. policy while increasing economic
privileges to his U.S. patrons. “George” (Castaneda) as he is known among his
mentors in Washington demonstrates that lamabotismo can reach new and unprecedented
heights—of servility. George was the first Latin American Foreign Minister to
declare unconditional support for Washington’s military intervention in Afghanistan.
In fact, he beat his competitor lamabotista colleagues in Latin America by several
days! George then proceeded toward provoking a rupture in the historical ties
between Mexico and Cuba by inciting Cuban lumpen to violently enter the Mexican
embassy in Cuba during a meeting of Cuban exiles in Miami. George then proceeded to
disinvite Castro to the Monterrey meeting, complying ,in the most servile manner,
with Bush’s “protocols”. In exchange for these violations of Mexico’s traditional
independent foreign policy, Castaneda asked for nothing. In fact, there was no quid
pro quo. Castaneda went further and supported Bush’s proposal that foreign aid
should be accompanied by greater imperial control and intervention to ensure that
the foreign aid funds did not serve any national/popular interests. Castaneda, with
President Fox’s approval, agreed to greater U.S. customs and immigration control on
the Mexican side of the border. The U.S. has responded to Castaneda’s servility by
closing down thousands of maquiladores (they have moved to China), firing one
million workers.
I do not believe Washington “pressured” George as some critics assert. He has a long
and undistinguished record of serving his U.S. patrons. His variety of heterodox
lamabotismo is both ideological and personal: ideological because he believes that
Third World leaders should subordinate themselves to Washington because it is the
natural order of the world. As one servile peasant once told me, “There is a
hierarchy in the world in which one serves the patron and orders the peons.”
Personal, because George’s reference group for status and success is measured by the
accolades he receives from powerful and prestigious personalities and institutions
in the U.S.
The great confrontation between the U.S. military empire and the anti-globalization
movement was embodied in Monterrey, with Fidel Castro speaking for the oppressed and
against globalization and Bush defending militarism and offering less annual aid to
the entire Third World than is proffered to the Israeli settler regime.
Castaneda’s attempt to limit the popular appeal of Castro’s message to the people of
Mexico and the world through gross and petty machinations, which gratified his Texas
patron. However, in the end, history will remember Castro’s speech at the Monterrey
Conference as a contribution to the growing worldwide anti-globalization movement.
Future social scientists, studying political pathologies will note the extremes to
which lababotismo was carried by ex-Foreign Minister George Castandea, in order to
secure a visiting professorship at the Kennedy School at Harvard University.
https://www.alainet.org/pt/node/105729
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