Globalization and the “New Social Order”

Revolution and the promotion of “Democracy”

Guatemala 1944-1954

• Stopped by a U.S. lead coup

• Population coerced into living under a wave of despotic regimes

Nicaragua: 1979--

• Internal forces; mistakes, arrogance, inexperience, etc

• External forces: low-intensity war; surrogate army, destroying symbols of the revolution

U.S. foreign policy: authoritarian regimes and “democratic”

regimes

Globalization, the world system, and ‘democracy promotion” in U.S. foreign

policy” (Robinson, 1996)

– within a process of transnationalism in the age of the global economy.

– “coercive domination to consensual model of social control”

– Massive expansion of international capital under U.S leadership

– achieving order and security for U.S global interests”

Why?

• Under new conditions of global capitalism a new type of social order develops

• Authoritarian regimes are obstacles economic and information flows

• Generates new pressures and new actors for political change

“Social interaction and economic integration ona world scale are obstructed by authoritarian ordictatorial political arrangements” (635).

institutional constrains on effective opposition to the social

order

From authoritarianism to the active promotion of ‘democracy”• 1980s and 90’s creation of new apparatus

for implementing “democracy”• Polyarchy:“refers to a system in which a

small group actually rules and mass participation in decision-making is confined to leadership choice in elections carefully managed by competing elites”.

“The purpose of promoting polyarchy is to removedictatorship and to pre-empt more fundamentalchange” (626).

Gramscian Hegemony

• Coercive domination and consensual domination

• “Hegemony as a social relation binds together a “block” of diverse classes and groups under circumstances of consensual domination” (628).

“Hegemony is not simply something that happens as a

mere superstuctural derivative of economic structures. ...it

happens through a multiplicity of “superstructural” agencies

and instances”

‘post-modern global culture and global consumption

pattern” Culture-ideology of consumerism

“In short, by redefining the economic terms of North-South

relations, globalization also redefined the political terms of

these relations” (622)

How is the Sandinista regime (its accomplishments and legacy) an

obstacle to global capitalism?

http://marcus.whitman.edu/

~bloomqcm/

“This is another way of restoring the values of the past with

vengeance. (Ramirez Mercado in Adios Muchachos 1999: 44)

Latin America is a slave economy masquerading as post-modern: it pays African wages, it charges European prices, and the

merchandise it produces most efficiently is injustice and

violence (Galeano 1998: 29).

Creating the conditions for major changes

• Elimination of revolutionary gains as obstacles for industrial development

• Paving the way for profound changes

• This changes had a lot to do with global politics of neoliberalism: structural adjustment

Structural adjustment• Structural Adjustment Policies are

economic policies which countries must follow in order to qualify for new World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans and help them make debt repayments on the older debts owed to commercial banks, governments and the World Bank.

SAPs generally require countries to devalue their

currencies against the dollar; lift import and export restrictions;

balance their budgets and not overspend; and

remove price controls and state subsidies.

SAPs are aimed at:

• To restore economic stability through privatization,

• Restructuring of the banking system: credit restriction

• Restructuring of government institutions

What does it mean for people?

• Higher prices for basic necessities: electricity and water

• Relaxation of labour codes: less control, less reinforcement

• Deterioration of families, human rights, etc

Latin America is a slave economy masquerading as post-modern: it pays African wages, it charges European prices, and the

merchandise it produces most efficiently is injustice and

violence (Galeano 1998: 29).

Revolutionary gains

• Agrarian reform:

--land distribution

--accessibility to credit

--education

Worker’s rights

• Bargaining power strengthen

• Labor laws

• More workers organized

Women’s rights

• Legal framework

• Practical terms: maternity leave

• Education

• Creation of organizations

Establishment of democratic institutions

• Creation of CSE

• Creation of national assembly

• First elections: 1984

Healthcare

• Universal medicare

• Health brigades,

• Health education

• Rural access

Healthcare

• Universal medicare

• Health brigades,

• Health education

• Rural access

Education

• Public education

• Literacy campaign

• Continuing education

• 6% for universities

National identity

• Sense of independence

• Sense of possibilities

• Control of destiny

• Flexibility in diplomatic relations

Impact of reversal of Sandinista’s gains

• Government control lifted:

• Abundance of food but no one can afford it

• From collective solidarity to ruthless individualism

Reasons behind structural adjustments

• . USA interest in eliminating government obstacles to trade

• 2. -Promote reforms to political and military institutions to their liking

• 3. Encourage Central American economic and political integration under North American Dominance

Economic consequences

• Agrarian reform dismantled• Education; major changes• Health care: privatize• Women’s rights: under threat• National identity: becomes under the

influence of USA policies• Labor issues: situation as bad as in

Somoza’s time

***

• Why put so much effort into erasing traces of the revolution and on transforming the urban landscape? Why spend so much money in erecting gleaming monuments after so many deaths?

Reasons

• The images, and symbols of the revolution contrary to the ideals of rampant capitalism

• Sandinistas still a threat to the “new social order”

• A new physical and ideological landscape needed to be constructed.

PPP

• Plan Puebla Panama

• 64 million people

• Eight countries

• Infrastructure, development and jobs

• Maquila assembly factories