Latin America: Pregnant With Revolution and the Bankruptcy of the US Media

One of the most significant social movements in many years is now playing itself out in Bolivia. Huge daily protests by millions of indigenous, peasant and working class Bolivians, has paralyzed the government, seen the downfall of two Presidents, led to the call for nationalization of the oil and gas industries, seen the formation of mass working class and peasant organizations, and worst of all possible scenarios to capitalist everywhere, has seen the working class and indigenous peoples call for an end to capitalism itself.

The kept US media outlets, whether print (newspaper) or audio-visual (radio-TV) has been silent on its reporting on the events in Bolivia. If not silent, then minimal in its reporting. Since the events in Bolivia are of a world and ground-shaking character, this minimalism amounts to silence.

The US capitalist owned media and journalists(CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, NY Times, Washington Post, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, Larry King, Diane Sawyer, ESPN, etc.), which during the Iraq war, definitively revealed its status as a “kept woman” and whore of the capitalist class, by its failure to seriously question the premises of the Bush administration’s justifications for war, issue state department releases as fact, and act as “cheer-leaders” for the war effort, are continuing its path of subservience.

While the bourgeois news media worked overtime to bring us information and images of the conflict in the Ukraine and Lebanon, why is it so silent on Bolivia? Everyday, CNN and other outlets brought us images of the “Orange” revolution in the Ukraine. Could it be that the opposition movements in the Ukraine and Lebanon were funded by various US state department agencies, in an attempt to promote the interests of the US capitalist class? Of course, to answer my own question. Could it be that the struggle of the poor and working class masses of Bolivia, and their call for an end to capitalism, strikes fear in the heart of the US capitalist class, and thus, there is no reporting by its wholly owned media? Of course, to answer myself, once again.

Bolivia is a country with a long tradition of political mobilization and protest. It has a strong trade union movement that has generated a radical political culture. Since the 1990’s, protest movements have grown, fed by the shortcomings of capitalist economic liberalization (dancing to the tune of the IMF and the World Bank) and unemployment. Alongside the working class, the indigenous (Indian) population of Bolivia, as in many Latin American countries, have suffered from the exploitation of the local ruling class and the international bourgeoisie.

In protest of their conditions, the workers and peasants took to the streets and demanded that the gas and oil industries be nationalized to serve the interests of the Bolivian people, and not that of the domestic and foreign capitalists. In addition, the indigenous population, roughly 60% of the population, has demanded that a new constitution be written to include them in the power sharing arrangement. As a result of this powerful upsurge, the hated President Carlos Mesa was forced to resign and Parliament was suspended. This crisis was a crisis of imperialism’s inability to solve and meet the needs of the people.

In fact, it reflected, that no progress could be made as long as power was in the hand to the capitalist thieves and bandits. As a result, it was not long before the mass protests grew into demands for the abolition of the system of capitalism itself.

For the last couple of months the Bolivian working class and peasantry has been engaged in a general strike that has paralyzed the government and the country. Of this, the US people have heard not a word. In the course of the struggle, the Bolivian working class and peasantry has called for the formation of people’s assemblies, self-defense units, and revolutionary neighborhood committees to take over the task of meeting the needs of the people, in the absence of a central government. The workers have called, not just for changes in the bourgeois government, but for an end to the capitalist government itself. This is an example of the working class and oppressed peoples taking their destiny into their own hands. Is it any wonder that CNN doesn’t want us to know what’s going on?

The ruling class in Bolivia and its international backers in Washington, have suffered a serious set-back, but of course are not down and “completely” out. The question of who will win out, “the working class or the capitalists?” is still un-settled.

Glory to the Bolivian working class and peasantry! They are serving as an example and inspiration to workers the world over. We must watch the situation closely and learn from their victories and mistakes. They are currently acting as a vanguard in the world-wide struggle for socialist revolution and transformation of society. Their struggle is evidence that the 21st century is the century of socialist revolution.

Ron Washington blacktel4justice@aol.com
Black Telephone Workers for Justice 7/4/05