From: robarr@sdcc3.ucsd.edu (Robert O'Barr)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america
Subject: Re: Re-Salas
Date: 16 Nov 92 22:17:15 GMT
Article-I.D.: sdcc12.41092
Organization: University of California, San Diego

In article <7031@news.duke.edu> cfa@duke.edu (Carlos Alzola) writes:
>In article <41016@sdcc12.ucsd.edu> robarr@sdcc3.ucsd.edu (Robert O'Barr) writes:
>>in danger of being thrown in prison.  Thank goodness that our
>>"interventionist" policies have lead to democratic elections in most
>>of these contries where dictatorships used to be the norm and the
>>people have tossed out the maximum leaders and the communists.

>....And I thought, that the advent of democracy in latin america was the     
>result of the people getting tired of dictatorships and pushing hard for
>peaceful and democratic changes. I suppose the impeachment of Collor de Mello
>is also the result of the US policies. Boy, some opinions in this group never
>cease to amaze me.

If we must play the blame and credit game, we should at least demand
some kind of consistancy.  Many seem to be of the opinion that
anything negative that happens in their country is 100% the fault of
the U.S.A. while anything positive that happens in their country is
0% to the credit of the policies of the U.S.  I don't believe in any
such extreme-ism.  Surely the U.S. policies of the past 15 years had
something to do with the movement toward democracy.  No doubt the
main driving force is as you suggested, that at last the people are
getting their say.  However, the history we are witnessing is
completely contrary to the one that Marx proposed to be inevitable.
Instead of the proletariate arising and bringing in the marxist
state, we are witnessing that the masses prefer the U.S. model of
democratic capitalism.

1)  If we allow the people populating the Falklands to decide their
own fate, will they choose to be an Argentine coloney?

2)  Has there ever been a strong sentiment among the inhabitants of the
Falklands to throw off the British oppressors and subject themselves
to their rightful argentine rulers? 

I think the answer to (1) is obvious.  If anyone cares to venture an
answer on (2), I would be interested in any possible historical
evidences (appearantly Jose Otero knows all the relevant references
inside and out) that would show that a pro-argentine sentiment has
ever existed in the Falklands.

The opinion expressed by many, that the inhabitants of the
Falklands are nothing more than a piece of property that a
proclamation given by a pope 400 years ago has bequeathed to the
argentine nation conflicts with the principle of a people's right to
self-determination.

>Robert, you have a great deal to learn about Latin America

Well, I would certainly hope so :-)  Do you Carlos have a great deal
to learn about Latin America or do you already "know it all"?

Unlike many here on s.c.l-a I don't profess to be a Mr. Know-it-all.  
However, if I demonstrate my ignorance, it would be much more productive
to provide your own counter argument.  Calling me an ignoramous and telling
me to read an introductory book on the history of latin-america does little
to correct misconceptions I may have especially considering that I
already have read the introductory books on history (from the
perspectives of various ideologies and generations).

>Carlos Alzola

Robert
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america