Bulletins and News Discussion from May 19th to May 25th, 2025 - The Beginning of the End of the Monroe Doctrine

Or perhaps the end of the beginning, if you're a little more pessimistic.

Image is from this Bloomberg article, from which I also gathered some of the information used in the preamble.

While Trump was off in the Middle East in an incompetent attempt to solve a geopolitical and humanitarian crisis, China has been doing something much more productive.

Chinese officials, including Xi Jinping, had a summit with CELAC (a community of 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries). There, he promised investment, various declarations of friendship, and visa-free entry for 30 days for citizens of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. Lula signed over 30 agreements with China. Colombia is joining the New Development Bank and hopes to gain the money for a 120-kilometer railway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as an alternative route to the Panama Canal. Even Argentina, ruled by arch-libertarian and arch-dipshit (but I repeat myself) Milei, was uncharacteristically polite with China as he secured a currency swap renewal to shore up their international reserves.

It wouldn't really be correct to say that Latin America is "siding with China over the US" - leaders in the region will continue to make many deals with America for the foreseeable future, and even Trump's bizarre economic strongman routine won't make them break off economic and diplomatic relations. What's significant here is that despite increasing American pressure for those leaders to break off all ties with China, few appear to be listening - and given that China is perhaps the most important economy on the planet right now, that is a very predictable outcome.

As the current American empire takes actions to try and avoid their doom, those very actions only guarantee it. As Latin America grows ever more interconnected with China and continues to develop, America will grow ever more panicked and demanding, and this feedback loop will - eventually - result in the death of the Monroe Doctrine.

Last week's thread is here. The Imperialism Reading Group is here.

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308 comments

It seems like Eduardo del Castillo, Bolivia’s interior minister, is going to be Arce's candidate for the presidential election. Menawhile Evo Morales and Andronico Rodriguez are banned from running. I guess Rodriguez basically became his own third left-wing force within the Arce-Evo struggle, since both Evo and Arce rejected him. I guess the current VP faction inside MAS could support him but idk if David Choquehuanca will have his own candidate in this election.
@Z_Poster365@hexbear.net
- What bullshit reasoning was used to ban Rodriguez?
  
  By determination of the full chamber of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), Andronico Rodriguez is suspended until Wednesday, May 21. The TSE considered the two constitutional rulings against Movimiento Tercer Sistema (MTS) which is part of Alianza Popular, political acronym with which Rodriguez was running for president.
  “The candidates of the Alianza Popular have been registered, the registration of these candidacies has proceeded, but it is suspended until this hearing on Wednesday, May 21”, said the member Tahuichi Tahuichi Quispe of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), before the media. In other words, the member stated that “the registration and the definitive inscription is suspended until this Wednesday's hearing”.
  He explained that “we have attended a precautionary measure that was granted by the First Constitutional Chamber of Beni, which provided for the suspension of registration of candidacy of the Third System Movement (MTS); this action has been analyzed in full court and complies with the mandate of that constitutional chamber, but at the same time we are sending a consultation of amendment and complementation to this precautionary measure. Because it is aimed at the MTS party and not at the candidacies of Alianza Popular, with this caveat this decision of the full court ended”.
  According to the version of the TSE member, “the destiny of this MTS party can be defined this Wednesday, May 21, when this hearing (in which the complementation and amendment will be resolved)”.
  Two constitutional rulings issued in less than 72 hours have put on hold the participation of the Third System Movement (MTS) in the general elections of August 17. The precautionary measures issued by constitutional chambers in Beni and La Paz suspend the registration of candidates of this political force, which directly compromises the presidential candidacy of Andronico Rodriguez.
  The first measure was issued by the First Constitutional Chamber of the Departmental Court of Justice of Beni, which admitted a compliance action filed by citizen Peter Erl Wein Beckhauser against the president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), Óscar Hassenteufel. The plaintiff accuses the MTS of not complying with its Organic Statute by not renewing its National Board nor complying with five resolutions of the electoral body.
  The vocal rapporteur Marco Antonio Justiniano ordered, as a preventive measure, the suspension of the registration of MTS candidacies until the hearing to resolve the merits of the case. This decision is based on Article 34 of the Constitutional Procedural Code, which allows judges to apply precautionary measures at any moment of the process to avoid irreparable damages.
  The second judicial lunge came from La Paz. The Fourth Constitutional Chamber of the Departmental Court of Justice decided to suspend the effects of the national congress of the MTS, held on March 30 and validated by Resolution TSE-RSP-ADM N° 175/2024. This decision arose after a constitutional appeal filed by María Maziel Terrazas Merino -wife of the party's leader, Félix Patzi- who denounced having been arbitrarily expelled by the Honor Tribunal of the MTS, which in her opinion violated her political rights.
  Terrazas also claims the “legitimate control” over the party, opening a front of internal struggle that impacts on the legality of the party congress that proclaimed Andrónico Rodríguez as presidential candidate. The Justice of La Paz considered that there are risks of irreparable affectation to his rights and ordered to paralyze the effects of that political meeting.
  Source (In Spanish)
- I knew a comprador social fascist was in the wings to be tapped by Arce, I just misunderstood a couple things. It was Castillo not Rodriguez.
  Really hope Evo and Rodriguez can put any differences aside and unite to crush the social chauvinist faction.
  
  I think Evo is going to support Rodriguez, probably should've done that from the start, but I think he still had hope for his own candidacy (tbh, many left-wing latin american leaders are like this).
  
  He was done dirty in a fascist coup and term limits are anti-socialist bourgeois policies that should be upended. If the Supreme Court and constitution of Bolivia need to go to ensure continued socialist rule then good riddance. Then social fascist scum like Arce tried to take over the party and wrest it away from the indigenous and trade unionist factions. Morales was correct in opposing this trend.
  Everything he has done has been vindicated by history. A bunch of people here started moaning about him when he opposed Arce and marched for his resignation, and he was proven correct that they were class traitors by their heavy handed leftpunching response. Everything he does further proves he is right.
  
  Thats why you coup and abolish sucdem electoral fantasies. You could critique Evo for that.
- Is this guy a comprador
  
  Camila/Kawsachuan (Pro-Morales): Eduardo del Castillo, Bolivia’s interior minister who has led the persecution of popular indigenous campesino movement and Evo Morales, has announced that he will be the presidential candidate of the ‘MAS’ in the August election. This follows the announcement made this week by President Luis Arce that he would not seek re-election.
  Del Castillo used the state to politically persecute the grassroots movement and its leaders and is trying to arrest the most popular political leader in the country. EDC has been an ally to the right-wing from the start. From early on, Evo publicly denounced EDC and his interior ministry, urging Arce to replace him. EDC was behind the attempt made on Evo's life on October 27. EDC led the criminalization of indigenous campesinos in Cochabamba.
  Specifically, Evo denounced Del Castillo as working with/on behalf of the US/DEA. I pity anyone who opted to both sides this situation. The left in Latin America doesn’t want to be seen as intervening in internal Bolivian matters. Seemingly prudent until one considers reality.
  Ollie Vargas (Left-Wing but more Neutral): Bolivia's courts are set to ban the candidacies of both Evo Morales and Andrónico Rodríguez. This would mean there are no indigenous or leftist candidates in this year's presidential elections - in the country with the largest indigenous population in the Americas. The MAS is still standing, but its candidate is Eduardo del Castillo - a middle-class white man from the Santa Cruz region who does not come from the unions or indigenous groups that originally created the party. One of his slogans is "The Bolivian people demand order."
  I suppose other left-wing goverments like Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia and China doesn't intervene because they don't know if Eduardo del Castillo will suddenly become anti-China/anti-BRICS. For all his problems, Arce is still very Pro-China/Pro-Brazil (Evo also was but Arce seems more dependent on Chinese and Brazilian support).
  
  edit: Evo and co need to find any and every way to launch a proper revolution in Bolivia and establish a DOTP stat

308 comments