Jay Hartling
Symposium on Alternative Forms of Trade and Cooperation
Photos: www.picasaweb.google.com/jay.hartling/TransformationLatinAmericaOnTheMove#
Halifax, Nova Scotia recently played host to a unique symposium that offered participants the opportunity to hear directly from visiting front-line representatives and grassroots leaders, academics and diplomats from Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia and El Salvador about the achievements and challenges of new models of integration and cooperation in the region. A symposium of this magnitude on alternatives to the capitalist, neo-liberal model is unique in Canada, and most notably in the Maritimes. Saint Mary’s University, one of the co-sponsors of the event, is to be commended for its critical approach to development studies; and for providing the opportunity for the public to explore alternative models of participation, trade, economies, healthcare, education and the media. SMU helped to bridge an often overlooked gap of the connection between academic research/debate/exchange and the broader community where universities reside. Other co-sponsors included the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, Nova Scotia Cuba Association, LATIN@S Canada, and Just Us Coffee Roasters Cooperative.
The concept of the symposium was to bring together some of the leaders of progressive social, political and economic change in Latin America to talk about the positive achievements that are driving a new model of integration in the region. Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia are all key participants in the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA), also known as the people’s trade agreement. ALBA is based on a series of non-reciprocal agreements that are rooted in the principles of solidarity, complementarity, and recognition of the various kinds of asymmetries in the region.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the symposium was the opportunity to debunk, de-mystify, deconstruct and debate commonly-held assumptions about the new participatory and integrated models developing in Latin America with the leadership of some of the countries present at the symposium. Most North Americans form their worldview of Latin America through the lens of the mainstream, corporate, English-language media (a handful of companies) or the CBC. The mainstream, corporate North American [and European] media have shown a distorted and biased view against the governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia (and others), with little attempt to examine factual data that shows important levels of progress in the region. Actual data obtained from research shows a different picture than what is being reported.
The connection to Nova Scotia should be obvious – Nova Scotia’s history is tied to north-south trade with the Caribbean and beyond. Nova Scotia, and broader Canadian society, has a long-standing history of solidarity with Cuba, in particular, but also with other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Not to mention the hordes of Canadians that flood southern beaches in the frigid winter. But most importantly, Canada is part of the Americas, and could be an instrumental player in helping to promote a multi-polar world more in keeping with Canadian values, than the current divisive and imperialist policy of the Conservative minority government.
Cuba’s Internationalism
The opening night was a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution and Cuba’s internationalism. The symposium opened with a dedication to the people of Honduras. This was a recurring theme throughout the symposium, as speaker after speaker exposed the hypocrisy and condemned the illegal actions of the current de facto government. After a keynote address by Isaac Saney tracing Cuba’s history of internationalism, a panel of representatives from Cuba, Bolivia, Venezuela, the Caribbean region and El Salvador responded with a brief analysis of Cuba’s impact in their own countries and in the region. Panelists Edgar Torrez (Bolivian Ambassador to Canada), Juan Carlos Coronado (Charges D'affaires, Venezuelan Embassy in Canada), Marta Lilian Coto (FMLN Deputy for El Salvador to the Central American Parliament) and Norman Girvan (University of the West Indies) all acknowledged the Cuban people’s contributions to healthcare and education, but also the inspiration and spirit of resistance that Cuba represents throughout the region.
Norman Girvan gave an emotional response “la deuda es impagable” (the debt [to Cuba] is unrepayable) as he outlined the numerous selfless acts committed by Cubans in the defence of human rights and the promotion of self-determination. Teresita Vicente (Cuban Ambassador to Canada) ended the session by thanking Canada in particular, but all Latin American brothers and sisters for their unwavering support for Cuba’s right to self-determination over the years, and for believing in the Cuban people.
ALBA: The Power of an Idea
Saturday’s sessions began with a powerful presentation on ALBA by Norman Girvan. Girvan pointed to a number of forces that have combined to bring about positive change for the majority of people in the region who have been marginalized for centuries. These forces include the increasing strength and power of social movements and participatory democracy; the failure of neo-liberalism; the rise of regional integration and the institutionalization of integration; the importance of sovereignty; and, the regional leadership of Brazil and Venezuela.
“The ALBA mission is to construct an alternative (to neoliberal) model of integration among peoples and countries that is people-oriented; and based on solidarity, complementarity, and differential treatment of countries in recognition of various kinds of asymmetries (size, level of development, financial resources, energy resources, and human capital capabilities)” (Norman Girvan: http://www.normangirvan.info/girvan-alba-power-idea-smu0310909/ ).
Girvan connected the growing strength of the ALBA relationship and the backlash from the right-wing who are losing their grip on power. The most apparent manifestation of this is the coup d’etat in Honduras. Girvan stressed that the current peaceful resistence movement in Honduras -- a coalition of popular organizations grouping campesinos, poor communities, Garifunas (Afro-Hondurans), indigenous groups and women‘s organizations – is responsible for preventing the illegitimacy of the de facto government from taking hold. Girvan concluded with questions about the role of integrated social movements in the region in decision-making regarding ALBA funds, and the need for greater transparency and accountability.
Cuba
Dalhousie University scholar John Kirk, and University of Havana Phd candidate and representative of Latin@s Canada, Nchamah Miller, continued the discussion on Cuba. Kirk demonstrated that far from being the isolated country portrayed in the media, Cuba is a country that is profoundly respected across the world. He focused on the extent of Cuba's medical internationalism and the significant impact it has had and is having on the region. He emphasized that this was a model for the international relations for other countries. Miller outlined the transcendental importance of the Cuban Revolution for Latin America. She pointed out that the Cuban Revolution represented not only a break with the island's and the region's history of imperial domination, but reinvigoration of Latin American traditions and thinking. As new emancipatory movements sweep and re-shape Latin America, Cuba has been a potent source of symbolic and concrete inspiration, as witnessed the previous evening of the symposium.
Venezuela
Julio Chavez, the former mayor of the first socialist city in Venezuela, and current member of the Lara state legislature for the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), described a constitutional five-phased process for implementing popular power in the municipality of Pedro Leon Torres in the state of Lara (capital city is Carora). These five stages are 1) re-writing the municipal constitution via citizens assemblies; 2) a 100% participatory budget process that turned decision-making over to the citizens through a series of open assemblies; 3) the creation of more than 500 communal councils in the municipality where groups of between 200-400 families organize to prioritize community problems, and then carry out the works to address those problems; 4) the creation of the socialist commune (the political and operational grouping together of communal councils and communal banks); and 5) the constituent economy.
Chavez then spent some time comparing social and economic statistics between 1998 (first significant change in government) and 2008. Venezuela dedicates 15% of GDP to improving and increasing the delivery of social programs such as education, healthcare, housing, food security; and, has increased the minimum wage, decreased inflation, decreased unemployment, and eradicated illiteracy since President Hugo Chavez was first elected in 1998.
Bolivia
Alex Borda and Edgar Torrez described the recent history of devastation caused by structural adjustment policies and experimentation by international lending agencies and the country’s small economic elite. Again, we see a different conjuncture of forces culminating in sweeping social change led by a coalition of numerous organizations, political parties, indigenous peoples, etc. Torrez in particular focused on important advances for the central role of indigenous peoples in Bolivia, and the redistribution of wealth and opportunity, the democratic process, the approval of a new constitution, and important achievements in education and social welfare.
El Salvador
Marta Lilian Coto, a historic figure in the FMLN and leader of the Women’s Commission, as well as FMLN deputy to Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), traced the path of the grassroots left in El Salvador, which today includes a coalition of interests like the FMLN, workers organizations, churches, community media, small businesses, academics, students, etc. Coto stressed the importance of the recent electoral victories of the FMLN, and outlined some of their objectives in the coming four years. Although not an ALBA member country, FMLN-run municipalities have agreements with ALBA Petroleos to supply low-cost oil to local gas stations. In exchange, a percentage of earnings must be spent on social programs in the municipality. This has allowed a number of important improvements in sanitation, water, transportation and infrastructure in urban and remote areas.
Implications for Canada
So where does Canada fit in? Canada’s foreign policy has historically tended to be multi-polar in nature, so there is a natural fit with ALBA’s principles. Surely no-one continues to believe that the current neo-liberal model is sustainable, and that free markets and so-called free trade are the only answers to resolving issues of assymetry, inequality, environmental devastation and disempowerment. The Latin American countries Canada is currently focusing its energies on through free trade agreements (Peru and Colombia) both have smaller economies than Venezuela and Brazil. Coincidentally, they continue to suffer from a 1980’s structural adjustment hangover, and that, coupled with their continued right-wing orientation, currently makes them, along with Canada, an anacronysm.
As a self-determining sovereign nation, Canada expects others to respect its sovereignty and must do the same in return for other nations whose citizens have a different vision of what kind of economic system, or political system they want. ALBA, while experimental and developmental in nature, offers an alternative model of trade and exchange, based on principles that fit with our own -- those of equality, fairness, democracy, cooperation and solidarity. It is also highly tolerant of the differences in economic approaches of the member countries to allow for differences not only in types of development, but in pace and context.
Our national government is mired in the past, with foreign policies driven by profit above all, rather than policies of human solidarity as exemplified by ALBA and the new Latin America of the 21st century. We, as a country, are being left behind.
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