Comments by the CAPAZ Academic Director on the current situation in Latin America for the German channel HR
Screenshot hr-iNFO online
Mass protests on the streets of Santiago de Chile, Quito, La Paz, and other cities; the seemingly unstoppable wave of Venezuelan migration, mainly to neighbouring Colombia and, recently, the resignation and exile to Mexico of Bolivia’s President Evo Morales.
“Der Kontinent der Krisen: Südamerika in Aufruhr” (free translation into English: “The Continent of Crises: South America in turmoil”) is a report by hr iNFO, Hessischer Rundfunk, the German regional Hesse network, on social and economic policies in countries such as Chile, Ecuador, Argentina, Colombia and Bolivia.
The CAPAZ Academic Director and Professor of Peace Studies at the Justus Liebig University Giessen, Prof. Dr. Stefan Peters was interviewed by hr iNFO on the topic.
In the interview, Prof. Peters argued that civil society in Latin America is simply fed up with extreme inequalities and the lack of effective social rights. In this scenario, upward mobility for the most disadvantaged and a narrowing of the gap around these inequalities is unlikely. Prof. Peters also provides an analysis and offers explanations on possible solutions to the current conditions in Latin America.
Listen to Prof. Peters’ full interview with hr-iNFO on the crisis in South America (in German).
The case of Bolivia
And what to say concretely about the situation in Bolivia? The situation in Bolivia is very unclear following the resignation and exile to Mexico of Evo Morales, one of the most visible presidents in Latin America.
“Bangen um Bolivien. Revolte im Land der Rohstoffe” (free translation into English: “Uncertainty for Bolivia. Protests in the country of raw materials”) is the second hr-iNFO report, published in its special issue on current affairs in Latin America.
The CAPAZ Academic Director, Prof. Dr. Stefan Peters, was consulted on this occasion too, specifically on the risks and likelihood of violence in Bolivia escalating in the following days or weeks. Prof. Peters also refers to the extreme social inequalities and racism towards indigenous peoples in the country, to which the administration of Evo Morales as president responded with protectionist economic reforms and greater visibility.
Listen to Prof. Peters’ full interview with hr-iNFO on the crisis in Bolivia (in German).
(Text: Claudia Maya, English version: Tiziana Laudato)
Sources:
“Der Kontinent der Krisen: Südamerika in Aufruhr”. Autor: hr-iNFO. Publicado el 07.11.19, Hessischer Rundfunk, 20:34 min. Recuperado el 13.11.2019 de: [https://www.hr-inforadio.de/podcast/das-thema/der-kontinent-der-krisen-suedamerika-in-aufruhr,podcast-episode-60020.html].
“Bangen um Bolivien. Revolte im Land der Rohstoffe”. Autor: hr-iNFO. Publicado el 12.11.19, Hessischer Rundfunk, 19:42 min. Recuperado el 13.11.2019 de: [https://www.hr-inforadio.de/podcast/das-thema/bangen-um-bolivien-revolte-im-land-der-rohstoffe,podcast-episode-60268.html].