IV331 - May 2001

The regional elections in the Basque country on Sunday May 13, 2001 saw an unexpected victory for the forces of moderate nationalism, sanctioning the policy of the Spanish state but also the assassinations carried out by ETA.

The electoral results of May 13 in the Basque Autonomous Comunidad has constituted a demonstration of the majority’s rejection of the political forces that sought confrontation with and the political defeat of Basque nationalism and those in favour of dialogue.

Since mid-March, day and night, pyres have been burning in the British countryside. Piles (some up to 130 feet high) of animal carcasses in open fields, heaped helter-skelter on rubber tyres and railway sleepers, charred by flames that fill the air with the stench of burning flesh and smoke, choking nearby residents.

“Last year in Slovenia we faced a huge wave of xenophobia and intolerance against immigrants. This sentiment, that could be felt in general public opinion and mood, was in reality the result of state policies on immigration.”

The current economic crisis in Turkey, which broke out in mid-February, has manifested itself in a deep financial crisis, leading to a devaluation of almost 100% and a significant recession, accompanied by numerous bankruptcies and redundancies. It is estimated that the average income per inhabitant fell from US$3,200 to close to US$2,000 within a few days.

In recent years, the traditional vulnerability of the Latin American economy has sharpened in the face of diverse international crises. The recovery from the ’lost decade’ of the 1980s (the decade which began with the thunderclap of the Mexican debt crisis in 1982) has been of short duration.

The first round of the Peruvian presidential elections on Sunday April 8, 2001 produced a major surprise - Wall Street’s favoured candidate, Lourdes Flores, came third and was eliminated from the contest. The second round [on June 3] will now be contested between Alexander Toledo (who scored 36.46%) and Alán García, the candidate of the APRA party, who was president from 1985 to 1990, who secured 26% of the vote.

In this interview, Quispe relates the experiences of struggle of the Bolivian peasant-indigenous movement and outlines the demands of the Pachakuti Indigenous Movement.

Antonio Vargas is a leader of the powerful Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie). He was interviewed by Mercedes López.

The Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA) is much more than a proposal to liberalise commerce, as has been formally announced. It’s about, of course, a strategic project of the United States to consolidate its domination over Latin America through the creation of a privileged space for the extension of its economic frontiers.