I investigated how the US gov't cultivated a fake "left" in Ecuador to divide a powerful socialist movement—and how it won the election for a rightist banker

The CIA has used this strategy for decades (recently seen in its "intersectional feminism" video)https://t.co/v3oVxOJ2Z5

— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) May 5, 2021

but not unexpected from the events that followed the first election. The animosity and petty grudges between the candidates' not in the runoff and their supporters drove a huge "nulo" or none of the above vote.

The first positive is that Arauz's party's number of seats legislature is almost a majority. They need support of those nulo voting parties to move their agenda forward and Lasso has much less likelihood of being able to do all that he might otherwise do.

The second positive is that like Biden he has shown a willingness to compromise his pre-election positions that unlike Biden he has even less ability to unilaterally pass. Whether once in office he follows through is another issue entirely. I'm most concerned with his ability to negotiate World Bank and IMF loans. Those moneys always end up in the pockets of the richest segment of the country and the people always lose public resources and individual wealth. It's going to be an interesting fur years.

with memories of sheltering children from "south of the border" on their way to sanctuary escaping weapons supplied by the USofA.

For me, the situation in Central, and South America is very personal.

Look no further than China, a nation that can no longer be terrorized by economic threats to its trading markets by the US. China has built a sustainable economy that is resilient to the outside pressures of a failing hegemony. The article linked below explains why this is so, and how it affects Latin America..

China has positioned itself as the trusted strongman of the Global South.

China’s economic expansion across the Global South has gone parallel with the crisis of neoliberal model of development, which is incapable of generating new growth momentum. What are the strategic calculations and motivations behind Chinese engagement with the Global South? What are the domestic and international implications of the increasing Chinese presence in developing nations? This article tries to tackle these questions based on evidences from Latin America.

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Washington Consensus vs. China’s Model

Developing countries are usually influenced by the ideological soft power of Western world. Western policy makers and opinion leaders simply attribute the problems to the backwardness of their own political systems, which are not as progressive as those of the developed countries. Thus, there are various “color revolutions” promoted in the name of “democracy” and “freedom”, which turn economic and social conflicts into political conflicts.

China does not impose any political conditions or development models in exchange for foreign aid or investment. This flexible way has enabled China to maintain friendly relations with politically diverse nations while pursuing its objectives. It is Beijing’s belief that economic cooperation should take precedence over political divergence and that the former’s success would promote political relations. This strategy has perpetuated through the 1990s as well as in the new millennium.

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The "America First" dogma of Donald Trump's foreign policy, which had the US backing out of its treaties and tearing up its international agreements, severely damaged US credibility throughout the world. Now the world has seen that the Biden Administration has fully embraced Trump's foreign policy when it comes to multilateral issues and the well-being of Developing nations.

So, when the US puts the squeeze on countries of the Global South and tries to force them to break their profitable trade and infrastructure agreements with China, what must the US expect? These countries know who tampered with their elections, installing US stooges as their leaders. As the Latin scholar Zuleta puts it, “its general neglect and a historically reactionary and inconsistent foreign policy toward the region have led to a situation in which U.S.-Latin America ties are only superficially cordial.”

Latin America can carve a niche in China’s complete industrial chain and massive market, which are open to both public and private sectors of all economies as long as they abide by China’s territorial integrity, mutual respect and mutual gains. The best bet for the region might be dealing with any superpowers, partners, economies with flexibility and based on its own national interests.

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