First Published: The Call, Vol. 6, No. 1, January 10, 1977.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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From the Rio Grande to the Straits of Magellan, the Latin American continent has become the target of fast-growing contention between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
The deadly superpower rivalry for new conquests of markets, land, natural riches, and cheap labor in Latin America has not gone unchecked. On all issues where superpower contention is sharp, Latin American governments and peoples are taking steps to firmly oppose both superpowers and safeguard their sovereignty.
In this struggle, Soviet social-imperialism, posing as the “natural ally” of third world peoples, is more dangerous than U.S. imperialism. Under the cover of “socialism” In words, and taking advantage of the low credibility of the U.S. government, the Soviet Union is pursuing a far more aggressive policy on the continent than its rival.
While the gunboat diplomacy of the U.S. has aroused the anger of the Latin American peoples for over a century, the Soviet Union is now embarked on the same course of military expansion, surrounding the continent with bases on all sides.
In the north, the USSR is transforming Cuba into a full-scale military base. Repair bases for air, naval and tank forces have just been completed and put in operation on a “joint” venture basis. Construction of military ports, expressways and railways have been expedited and assistance given for production of various light conventional weapons.
At the same time, the USSR has secured a stronghold in Angola, exposing the Latin American countries of the east coast to the threat of military expansion from the Atlantic.
In the south, the Soviets have established a seventh Antarctic station on Ross Island and planned five more not far from the southernmost tip of Latin America. So-called “oceanographic ships,” equipped with highly sophisticated espionage laboratories, regularly cruise the South Atlantic.
While Soviet aggressive plans are rapidly increasing, the U.S.is frantically trying, to cling to what was once considered its “backyard.” The U.S. imperialists are pressing hard to develop SATO (South Atlantic Treaty Organization) with Latin American countries to protect U.S. interests in the area. Military plans and maneuvers between the U.S. and some Latin American countries have been staged as a show of force recently.
These military designs of the super-powers are coupled with continuing efforts at political and economic penetration.
With all of Latin America standing up, the struggle of the Panamanian people for recovery of the Canal Zone has become a symbol of struggle for complete independence and liberation.
In the face of continued U.S. military occupation of the Canal Zone and Soviet attempts to promote “internationalization” of the Canal, the Panamanian people and all Latin American peoples are militantly demanding total sovereignty over the Canal for Panama. President Gen. Omar Torrijos said last October, “Never has a Latin American cause united so many as ours.” The Panamanian people have continuously demonstrated by the thousands for complete sovereignty over their territory and against the U .S: colonial enclave which borders the Canal.
U.S. President-elect Carter – who has said the U.S. will not give up operational and military control over the Canal “in the foreseeable future” – is not likely to change Ford’s policy of refusing to meet any of Panama’s demands.
In 1976 alone, U.S. efforts to maintain its hold over the Canal included an abortive bosses’ lock-out (January), a Zonal employees’ strike (March), an aborted plot to kidnap the Spanish ambassador (April), an air attack by U.S, planes on a Panamanian National Guard unit (July),and several days of student riots (September) – all attempts to undermine the Torrijos government and stall Canal Zone Treaty negotiations.
Both superpowers see the Canal Zone as key to military control over the continent because it is the only waterway of its kind in the hemisphere, strategically located between North and South America. For its part, the USSR hopes to snatch the Canal for itself once the Panamanian people have thrown out the U.S. imperialists. Using Cuba as a go-between, it is trying to gain a foothold in the country.
The “model” of social-imperialist intervention in Angola holds many lessons for the Latin American people. They cannot forget that the Soviet Union recruited its mercenaries in Latin America. Taking advantage of the people’s struggle against U.S. imperialism, the USSR invaded Angola with Cuban troops and eventually seized power through a puppet government.
In the same way, the new tsars are seeking to expand their empire into Panama, Belize and other Latin American countries. Everywhere they threaten, plot, infiltrate and seek to “create splits and divisions, both internally – in universities, trade unions, peasant and teacher organizations, secondary schools, armed forces, government posts, opposition parties – and also externally, on an international scale.
Last October, for example, the USSR tried to drive a wedge between Peru and Chile. The two countries are currently negotiating the creation of a territorial strip to be used by Bolivia as a passageway to the coast. Such an agreement would represent a step forward in trade relations and unity between Latin American countries. In the imperialist tradition of “divide and conquer,” the Soviet Union spread rumors that Peru and Chile were on the verge of war, creating a tense climate as negotiations got underway.
The Soviet social-imperialists use economic and military “aid,” with strings tied, to penetrate and eventually control third world countries. Cuba stands as proof that colonization is the real goal of Soviet “aid.”
In a speech last September, Prime Minister Fidel Castro clearly indicated the country’s present crisis and its dependence on social-imperialism. He called on the Cuban working class to “make more sacrifices,” announced increased rationing of consumer goods such as coffee and synthetic cloth, and declared that the country “must produce for exportation.”
In answer to the colonialist appetite of both superpowers, Latin American countries are creating their own economic organizations and blocs. The Latin American Economic System (SELA), for instance, founded in October 1975, excludes the United States and constitutes a positive step towards regional economic solidarity. Last month, Latin American coffee-producing nations inaugurated an information Center in EI Salvador to bypass the London-New York manipulation of coffee market statistics.
Following the drop in world sugar prices from $ .70 to $ .08 a pound in less than, a year Latin American sugar exporting nations recently met in Santo Domingo to decide on a minimum price, arrive at a common strategy, and safeguard their export-dependent economies.
In the same way, many Latin American nations have adopted measures to defend their sovereignty over the 200-nautical-mile “economic zone.” Both the U.S. and the Soviet Union are gnashing their teeth over the loss of their “right” to freely plunder third world marine resources. In August, at the most recent meeting of the UN Sea Conference in Geneva, both superpowers denounced what they termed “extremist control” of the conference by third world nations.
The rising trend of Latin American unity and independence is diametrically opposed to superpower interests in the area. This year, the continent scored new victories against imperialism and hegemonism.
In addition, the revolutionary struggles inside each Latin American country have developed powerfully over, the last year. In Bolivia for instance, the 55,000 members of the Federation of Bolivian Miners played a militant role in opposition to the fascist dictatorship and its imperialist backers with a two-month strike last year. In Mexico and Honduras, hundreds of thousands of peasants have seized lands previously owned by U.S. agribusiness and local capitalists.
In Colombia, masses of students demonstrated in support of a 24-hour general strike of 180,000 teachers last March 31. The next day, the students assaulted stores and government-owned offices to protest the police murder of several students during the clashes.
Meanwhile in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and other countries where the masses suffer fascist repression, police terror could not succeed in wiping out many instances of sharp class struggle. Throughout the continent, new Marxist-Leninist parties have developed to lead the working-class struggle and to oppose the treachery of modern revisionism.
Latin American countries and peoples will continue to unite and persist in their struggle to throw out the imperialist tiger, expel the social-imperialist wolf clawing at the back door and advance the worldwide struggle to bring an end to imperialism’s rule.