Chapter 11: Neoliberalism & Beyond
MERCOSUR 332
A free-trade zone inaugurated in the 1990s by Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay that was in response to NAFTA.
"New left turn" 336
A trend in Latin American politics at the beginning of the 21st century that revived nationalist traditions of the mid-20th century and moved way from neoliberal policies.
Maquiladora 332
An assembly plant that uses cheap labor, mainly poor women, to put together imported parts. Low tariffs facilitate maquiladora production. These workers were not valued by their companies and were often fired for being pregnant.
Lula 336
Luiz Inácio da Silva, also known as "Lula," president of Brazil from 2003-2011. A metalworker and union leader before establishing the grassroots Labor Party, he won the presidency on the fourth try. He wanted to ensure that no Brazilian would go to bed hungry, though this noble goal may be blurred by the fact that he was imprisoned for money laundering.
Evo Morales 338
President of Bolivia elected in 2006, the first indigenous man to be president of that majority-indigenous country. (He was Aymara.) Morales began his political career fighting off US-inspired efforts to eradicate the country's ancient coca crop.
IMF 331
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank are major institutions that helped reorganize international financing after the Second World War. They were key to the neo-liberal policies called, in Latin America, "the Washington Consensus."
NAFTA 332
The North American Free Trade Agreement eliminated trade barriers in 1994 between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, making North America the largest free-trade zone in the world.
Hugo Chavez 337
The president of Venezuela from 2002 until his death in 2013. The most high-profile of Latin America's "new left turn" presidents, Chavez secured his power through a patronage system with Venezuela's poor, and they were very loyal to him. He was unpopular with the middle class for his domineering use of government against his political adversaries. He also won a referendum that eliminated term limits so that he could be elected indefinitely.
