Neoliberalism Raises Its Ugly Head in South America

Following his re-election in 2012, Obama announced what was called a ‘pivot’ to Asia to contain and check China’s growing economic and political influence. In 2013-14, it was the US-directed Ukraine coup—i.e. a pretext for sanctions on Russia designed to sever that country’s growing economic relations with Europe. But there is yet another US policy shift underway that is perhaps not as evident as the refocus on China or the US new ‘cold war’ offensive against Russia. It is the US pivot toward Latin America, begun in 2014, targeting in particular the key countries and economies of South America—Venezuela, Brazil, and Argentina—for economic and political destabilization as a fundamental requisite for re-introduction of Neoliberal policies in that region.