The Tories' War on Progressive Latin America
10.12.2019
By
John McEvoy Daniel Hunt Nathália Urban
Cosying up to Bolsonaro, supporting coup d'états and facilitating crackdowns on human rights - the Tory record in Latin America today tells you why they were so willing to make friends with Pinochet.
On 9 November 2010, the new Conservative Foreign Secretary William Hague gave a speech at London’s Canning House, lamenting the loss of British influence and prestige in Latin America. Hague set out a plan, known as the Canning Agenda, to restore that influence.
The Canning Agenda contained the seeds of a British neo-colonial project, encompassing both trade and defence strategy, with oil and mining interests at its core. At the time, this project contrasted sharply with the “pink tide” governments and the resurgence of resource nationalism on the continent.
Nine years after Hague’s speech, we can assess the impact of his agenda on the region. From Brazil to Bolivia, Honduras to Colombia, the effect of British government policy has been to undermine democracy and assist those responsible for major violations of human rights.
Boosting Bolsonaro
Over the past decade — particularly since the removal of elected President Dilma Rousseff in 2016, and the subsequent rise of Jair Bolsonaro — the UK government has shown a keen interest in Brazil’s raw materials. Building on the groundwork of his unelected predecessor Michel Temer, Bolsonaro has opened Brazilian resources up to international capital like never before.
More:
https://tribunemag.co.uk/2019/12/the-tories-war-on-progressive-latin-america/
