Bolivarian Hall
2445 Massachusetts Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20008
Jun 18, 2015
7:00 PM (GMT-4)
It can be argued that the Greek people's rejection of neoliberal policies in a referendum last week would not have occurred had the road not been paved by a wave of progressive governments in Latin America. Their refusal to follow the Washington Consensus became a crucial alternative to neoliberal hegemony, providing a model for resistance worldwide.
The electoral victory of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela initiated a wave of political programs that questioned the inevitability of structural adjustment, broke down barriers that promoted high levels of social exclusion, and redefined democracy in terms of increased political participation and a new constitutionalism. Other governments followed soon after: Lula's Worker's Party won in Brazil, Bolivia and Ecuador underwent significant transformations that included the drafting of new Constitutions, and leaders in countries like Argentina, Chile, Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Paraguay embarked on fulfilling progressive agendas.
Join us to analyze the importance of these governments in the struggle to create an alternative to neoliberalism.
Guests speakers:
George Ciccariello-Maher, an assistant professor of political science at Drexel University in Philadelphia, is the author of We Created Chávez: A People's History of the Venezuelan Revolution.
Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, in Washington, DC and author of the forthcoming book Failed: What the 'Experts' Got Wrong about the Global Economy.
This event is co-sponsored by the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Democratic Socialists of America.
