Utopia Unarmed: The Latin American Left After the Cold War (review)

174 SAIS Review SUMMER-FALL 1994 Utopia Unarmed: The Latin American Le/t A/iter the Cold War. ByJotge G. Castañeda. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993. 476pp. $27.50/Hardcover. Reviewed by Amy Glower. Ms. Glover holds a BA from Georgetown University and received her MA at SAIS. The recent fall of communism coupled with the increasing popularity of free market reforms has placed the Latin American left in an awkward position. On die one hand, many of die policies associated with the left have been discredited, and hope for a brighter future through socialist revolution no longer seems plausible. Conversely, the line between right and left has been blurred. The politics ofrhe right and center have taken up many concerns traditionally associated with the left, such as poverty alleviation. Meanwhile, many traditional leftists have moved closer to the center, as exemplified by the Peronists in Argentina. Jorge Castañeda attempts to deal with the left's identity crisis in his book Utopia Unarmed by reflecting on the history of the left in Latin America and postulating a platfonn for the future. While the discourse is interesting and informative, Castañeda attempts to cover so many points that concrete conclusions are difficult to extract from this lengthy text. Castañeda defines rhe left in both ideological and functional terms. His historical review ofthe left is placed within avery large rubric that includes communist parties, the populist left, military organizations and reformists. He also discusses the roles of grass-root movements and intellectuals. One could argue diat too much emphasis is placed on detailing the trials and tribulations of leftist military insurgencies, to the neglect ofthe grass-roots social and political left. Nevertheless, die analysis is honest in its willingness to detail the misadventures of rhe left both in its attempts at revolution and in its experimentation with governance. In formulating a new agenda for rhe left, Castañeda focuses on three areas: nationalism, democracy, and economic reform. He asserts that nationalism needs to continue as a central tenet ofthe left's platform due to the beliefthat the nation-state in Latin America has yet to be sufficiendy constructed. Nationalism, however, should not be solely anti-United States, as it was during rhe Cold War, but should oppose those U.S. policies which run counter to the interests of Latin American nations. Here, rhe author is talking principally about the "radical free market" reforms so avidly promoted by the United States government He recommends the left resign itselfto the fact that the United States will continue to have a large impact on its future, and suggests that it forge alliances with the left in the United States in order to promote its own interests in Washington. Regional integration is also seen as a tool for promoting greater economic independence in the region. The mostcompelling feature ofthe plan, although not an entirely original point ofemphasis, is what Castañeda calls the "democratic imperative." In the past, the left had been alienated from rhe democratic process. There are many cases in which rhe left; has legitimately won an election only to be tossed out of government by the elites BOOK REVIEWS 175 or through foreign intervention. The ouster of Joao Goulart in Brazil (1964) and Salvador Allende in Chile (1973) are prime examples. Castañeda very wisely points out that in the past, debates over preferable systems of government have centered around a false alternative: the U.S.-style definition of democracy which prioritizes elections and mie oflaw, versus the overriding Latin American concern for social and economic equality. In fact Castañeda asserts that the democratization process in Latin America is an indispensable part ofachieving economic development Only under a democratic system will the disenfranchised be able to make their economic demands heard. He points out that a fear ofredistribution policies explains the often lukewarm support that Latin American elites display for democratic institutions. A central dilemma which has vexed Latin American scholars for decades is the question ofgrowth versus equity. Castañeda points outthat"a necessary condition for equity in Latin America appears to be democratic mie, but democracy seems incompatible with growth under actually existing circumstances." In...