Lateinamerika

Latin America is on fire. This week Chile experienced the largest demonstrations since the end of the dictatorship; on Friday more than a million people demonstrated in Santiago. In Ecuador, the president recently had to flee the capital and was only able to curb riots by withdrawing subsidies. In Argentina, the population's blatant discontent is likely to be reflected in a victory on Sunday for the Leftsperonists, who have always been world champions in politically mobilizing dissatisfaction As different as the circumstances in the countries may be, there is always the same motive behind the turmoil: the weariness of large parts of the population with an economic system that does not succeed in eliminating the blatant social inequality - Latin America is world champion in this too. While Northern and Central Europe are beginning to bid farewell to the left-right contrast, this is intensifying massively in the emerging countries of Latin America. The contrast between rich and poor is too great, too insurmountable Basically, it is always the same cycles in which the semi-continent is trapped. In the noughties, left-wing governments tried to distribute the revenues from the commodity boom more fairly than their liberal predecessors, to provide a balance and to raise more people to the middle class

When prices fall on the world market, however, the new middle class quickly realizes how vulnerable it is; the welfare system collapsed and changes of power were the logical consequence. Some governments now tried again with the means of the nineties. Ecuador or Argentina called on the International Monetary Fund to help restore public finances. But IMF loans are always tied to conditions: subsidy reduction, privatization, austerity. This then affects Ecuadorian farmers, small traders or bus entrepreneurs who have built their livelihood on subsidized diesel

Chile is a special case, since the Pinochet years it has been ruled by the law of the strongest, the state is as good as absent in the provision of services of general interest. Productivity, good commodity prices and hard work have brought the country a long period of stability. But at the same time, anger over the downsides increased: Exploding prices for health care, rent, electricity, buses and education have plunged many people into existential difficulties is a way out is not in sight for the time being. The economic systems are too vulnerable, the dependence on the export of raw materials is too great. It is more to be feared that the on-off, the constant change of blatantly contradictory radical cures from the right and left - such a change is likely to happen in Argentina - will further weaken the unstable systems. In addition to fairer distribution, however, there is something else on the list of many demonstrators: the demand for a functioning democracy, transparent elections, clean changes of power. An increasingly well-informed, socially organized and self-confident young generation is no longer able to offer the old patriarchal methods of maintaining power through tricks - as in Venezuela or currently in Bolivia - and is in great demand. And that's good news from Latin America after all Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator Sueddeutschezeitung.de