Pirates of the Caribbean: Axis of Hope
By Tariq Ali
Verso Books, 2006
244 pages, $49.95 (hb)
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Tariq Ali is an icon of the radical left — writer, film producer and member of the editorial board of the flagship journal New Left Review. His most recent writings have focused on imperial power plays in Iraq and South Asia (Clash of Fundamentalisms; Bush in Babylon; Rough Music; Empire and Resistance). Pirates of the Caribbean shifts continents and takes the reader to Latin America.
Over the last decade or so there has been a renewed surge in left-wing politics in almost every country south of the US border. In one state after another, Latin American voters have put left-wing governments in power, indicating their rejection of "the Washington Consensus" (which Ali cheerfully abbreviates to WC throughout the book).
In some cases, most recently in Mexico, elections have been stolen from left candidates because of a deeply corrupt electoral system. There have been varying results, from the tragic disappointment of Lula in Brazil and Michelle Bachelet in Chile; the uncertainty of Nestor Kirchner in Argentina; and the great "axis of hope" presented by the radical governments of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and Evo Morales in Bolivia. Chavez and Morales have openly shown their complete support for that bastion of anti-imperialist resistance, Cuba.
Pirates of the Caribbean is not an academic tome. It's a work for the general reader and places the evolution of Latin American politics in a wider historical context. As with much of Ali's other work, it has elements of personal biography and many interesting asides (usually in the footnotes). There are nearly 100 pages of appendices featuring articles, interviews and speeches by Chavez, Morales, Luis Reyes — governor of Lara state in Venezuela, and Jorge Carneiro, former Venezuelan defence chief.
The main section of the book has six chapters. The first two are overviews. Chapter one is a vivid portrayal of the disinformation campaign mounted by the big business media, often with the assistance of former left-wing supporters of revolutionary struggles in Latin America. Chapter two describes the rise of political resistance to the "WC" across the continent, and the next two chapters look at the two revolutionary governments that emerged from this latest continental turn: Bolivia and Venezuela.
Ali does not attempt to "characterise" the state in Venezuela. That is a matter of continuing debate that is beyond a 250-page book. Bolivarian socialism is a major work in progress that has just begun. Ali is far more interested in the way in which these revolutionary governments continuously challenge Washington's imperial hegemony.
There is also a chapter on Cuba. The book is deeply sympathetic to the Cuban Revolution, but is not uncritical of the history and policies of its government.
"The more I travel and the more people I meet, the more strongly I feel that this Cuba must not be left to the tender mercies of the demolition squads waiting patiently in Miami," Ali says. "That would be a defeat for the entire continent. Miami may not be the same as it was decades ago, containing as it does many economic migrants from Cuba, but nests of Cuban fascists are still active."
The final chapter is a review of a major new biography of Simon Bolivar. The attachment of most left-wing Latin American leaders to the political project of Simon Bolivar is very strong. No conversation about Latin America's future can be had without the ideas of this great historical figure. Bolivar died — politically and geographically isolated — of consumption in a remote farmhouse in Santa Marta with only his closest companions by his side. Although temporarily isolated in Latin America, he was at the time being hailed as a liberator in the distant shores of Europe.
The celebration of the life and achievements of Bolivar has never stopped. Perhaps, as a companion to reading this book, the reader may want to get a copy of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's brilliant historical novel about Bolivar titled The General in his Labyrinth.
Pirates of the Caribbean is essential reading for those who are excited by the flames of hope that are burning on the Latin American continent. There are many more chapters that remain to be written.