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Let us begin our focus on Latin America. I find it unfortunate that we continue to treat our Latin American brothers and sisters the way that we do. We have liberally reaped rich cream from the Americas for the last 500 years. I make it sound sweet by invoking the name of a fluffly dairy product but i assure you this period of time has been a time of open veins and suffering.

I had recently become reinvigorated in learning about Latin America in light of recent talks of a broad change in U.S/Latin American relations. I have very progressive views on most politics so i naturally become drawn to the drama that has been playing out to the south. Here we have a complete transformation in the policies that South American nations are willing to accept. Our friends to the south have declared that it is time for everyone to come to the table on the same terms.

No longer will it be acceptable to continue the practices of economic domination that we pursue.

Recently at the Summit for the Americas Hugo Chavez approached President Obama and presented him with a copy of “Open Veins of Latin America”. This book chronicles and examines a 500 year history of economic exploitation and colonial domination. It is because of the events and practices discussed in this book that we find ourselves in the present. With liberal popular democratic governments rising up all over latin america. From Venezuelas Bolivarian Revolution, to Evo Morales’ indegenous movement.

The people of Latin America seem dead set on ending the imperialistic domination of thier land that they have endured for over 500 years.

And it was because of this that i felt a need to understand more about latin America. What were our neighbors raging against exactly. It was becoming obvious to me that there was a struggle going on in Latin America and it was definitely a social one. Right here in our back yard we are having an entire continent struggling to break free of U.S. hegemony.

My own workshop on democratic struggle popping up in my back yard. How exciting! I needed to do some reading to understand more about our relationship with Latin America past, and present. I ran into an article on CounterPunch.org that was discussing the Latin American issue. They mentioned in the article a book called “Empires Workshop” by Greg Grandin. After purchasing and reading the book it became clear that it was no accident that these events were taking place so close to home,  for when the U.S. aquired imperialist aspirations they set their sight on the south to school themselves in the practices and techniques that would be needed in order to dominate politics and trade globaly.

Empires Workshop focuses mainly on the U.S. side of U.S./Latin American policy. While the second book that i chose (“Dispatches From Latin America”), seems to focus more on the impact that U.S. hegemony has had on Latin America.

We are being forced into a new world community, this almost seems like an eventuality. If we are to co-exist in this hemisphere then i think the debate on future hemispheric relations needs to ensue at a rapid pace.

I have not read the book given to President Obama by Hugo Chavez yet. This moment comes at a time when i find myself with all that i can handle as far as Latin American political literature, but i have a feeling that it will deliver a deeply historical account of the injustice in Latin America. So i propose that after i finish “Empires Workshop” and “Dispatches from Latin America” i will then read “Open Veins of Latin America” to round it out.

I suggest that you read these books along with me, or recomend any that you feel are a good read.

Afterward join in on the debate.

This Months Reads:

Empires Workshop

Dispatches from Latin America

Open Veins of Latin America

-Sid

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