Table of Contents

Introduction: Turbulent Transitions and the Specter of Socialism
1. Globalization, Neoliberalism, and the Rise of the Social Movements
2. The Pink Tide and the Challenge to US Hegemony
3. Between Neo-Extractivism and Twenty-First-Century Socialism
4. Venezuela's Twenty-First-Century Socialism
5. Bolivia's Communitarian Socialism
6. Ecuador's Buen Vivir Socialism (by Marc Becker)
7. Brazil: Between Challenging Hegemony and Embracing It
8. Cuba: 'Updating' Twentieth-Century Socialism?
9. Conclusion: Socialism and the Long Latin American Spring
Appendix: Nationwide Elections in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador

Promotional Information

Investigates the recent rise of radical left governments in many Latin American countries, exploring why this profound shift has taken place and how this new 'Twenty-First Century Socialism' actually manifests itself.

About the Author

Roger Burbach is Director of Research and Publication at the Center for the Study of the Americas (CENSA) in Berkeley, California. A historian by training, he was for a number of years a staff member and writer with NACLA, the North American Congress on Latin America. During the 1990s he was Visiting Scholar in Peace and Conflict Studies, and subsequently at the Institute of International Studies, University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of numerous books, including Imperial Overstretch (Zed Books, 2004), The Pinochet Affair: State Terrorism and Global Justice ( Zed Books, 2003), Globalization and Postmodern Politics: Zapatistas versus High Tech Robber Barons (Pluto Press, 2001) and Globalize This! The Battle against the World Trade Organization (Common Courage Press, 2000) (edited with Kevin Danaher). Federico Fuentes edits Bolivia Rising, is part of the Venezuela Analysis editorial collective, and a regular contributor to the Australian based newspaper Green Left Weekly, including as part of its Caracas bureau from 2007-10. During this time he was based at the Fundacion Centro Internacional Miranda, linked to the Minister of Popular Power for University Education as a resident researcher. Together with Marta Harnecker, he headed up two of the lines of investigation there: "Political Instrument for the 21st Century" and "Popular participation in public management". He has also co-authored two books with Harnecker on the new left in Bolivia and Paraguay and is working on two further books regarding the new left in Brazil and Ecuador. His articles have been published on ZNet, Counterpunch, MRZine, Venezuela Analysis, Aporrea, Rebelion, America XXI, Comuna and other publications and websites in both Spanish and English. Michael Fox is a freelance journalist, reporter and documentary filmmaker based currently in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is co-author of Venezuela Speaks!: Voices from the Grassroots (PM Press 2010) and the co-director of Beyond Elections: Redefining Democracy in the Americas (PM Press 2008). He sits on the board of Venezuelanalysis.com, and is the producer of the Venezuelanalysis Radio Headlines. He has led tours to half a dozen Latin American countries, and writes on social movements in South America. His articles have been published with The Nation, NACLA, Yes Magazine, Earth Island Journal and more.

Reviews

Burbach, Fox, and Fuentes have written a thoughtful account of the radical projects that have arisen in Latin America in the wake of the collapse of the "old" socialism and the simultaneous weakening of U.S. hegemony in the region. Anyone who wishes to know more about the forces behind Latin America's "left turn," and the movements from below that have made that left turn possible, will benefit from reading this book.
*Fred Rosen, Editor, NACLA Report on the Americas*

A profoundly important book. Latin America is the last place in the world where a broad enlightened left not only survives but thrives, setting an idealistic agenda of solidarity, equality, and freedom - though often times rhetoric doesn’t match reality. Deploying a rigorous comparative framework, Latin America’s Turbulent Transitions takes an unflinching look at socialism in the region, both as it is and as it could be.
*Greg Grandin, Professor, New York University, author of Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City*

Turbulent Transitions makes sense of Latin America's leftward turn, both in terms of its origins and what this turn means for some of the main countries involved. As such, it is an essential resource for the general reader and for students of the region. The case study of Venezuela is especially useful in helping us understand Hugo Chavez' historic legacy and the advent of 21st century socialism.
*Gregory Wilpert, author of Changing Venezuela by Taking Power: The History and Policies of the Chavez Government*

Little by little, inch by inch the thick, dark velvet curtain thrown over daily events in Latin America by uninterested editors and nervous journalists in the Western media is being tugged back. Roger Burbach, Michael Fox and Federico Fuentes have produced a sparklingly up-to-date account of the "pink tide" of new thinking for the general reader. The lives and politics of the present-day political giants of the Western Hemisphere - Chávez, Lula, Correa, Raúl Castro and many more - are set out with admirable clarity by three authors who know what they are talking about. No student of the New World should be without it.
*Hugh O'Shaughnessy, author of Priest of Paraguay*

An intelligent and informed review of the Latin American left - its past, its prospects, and its internal debates. A first-rate contribution to our efforts to analyze and to transform the world.
*Immanuel Wallerstein, Yale University*

This book describes the political vision changing the lives of millions in Latin America. It is a manual of thrilling example for us all.
*John Pilger, journalist and film-maker*

This book is essential reading. It looks at the advances made by left forces in the region, the social struggles that preceded them, and the great challenges facing those governments that have set for themselves the goal of constructing an alternative to capitalism.
*Marta Harnecker, Chilean journalist and author of Understanding the Venezuelan Revolution*

A fascinating and passionate overview of the most important social experiment on earth: Latin America's search for economic justice.
*Mike Davis, author of Planet of Slums*

A vital guide for anyone seeking to understand where the left is headed in Latin America, as well as the vexing political and social challenges confronted by charismatic leaders and progressive forces on the ground.
*Nikolas Kozloff, author of Revolution! South America and the Rise of the New Left*

As the Millennium opened, the World Social Forum met in Brazil with the slogan "A New World is Possible," part of a global reaction to the prevailing practices of neoliberal globalization that held that "There is No Alternative." The remarkable developments in Latin America in the years since demonstrate that a new world may be in the making, not just in Latin America but perhaps reaching well beyond. The insightful and informative studies collected here reveal what has been taking place in Latin America, and the implications of these developments for the emerging world order.
*Noam Chomsky*

In a continent of ferment and change like Latin America, where we often live through tumultuous moments, a serious, documented, and critical book like Latin America's Turbulent Transitions is a valuable contribution to deepening our discussions and orienting us in the construction of a new world. Burbach, Fox, and Fuentes's vast and comprehensive chapters tackle many of the current themes and conflicts and serve as small compasses to help us understand where we are and suggest possible paths forward.
*Raul Zibechi, Uruguayan Journalist, author of Dispersing Powers: Social Movements as Anti-State Forces*

Original and insightful analysis.
*Saul Landau, Film Director and Author*

Anyone seeking to understand the complexities and tensions of the struggles to turn the radical social transformations in contemporary capitalist Latin America into a sustained socialist project, needs to encounter this book's rare combination of open-hearted commitment and hard-headed analysis.
*Steve Ludlam, University of Sheffield*