“We must rebuild a political project where food sovereignty is one of the main goals”
In a conversation with Hammer and Hope on September 2, 2024, Marta Lia Greco of MNCI Somos Terra (Argentina, La Via Campesina), Giovani del Prete of ALBA Movimientos, and Silvestre Saisari of the Movimiento de Trabajadores Campesinos Indígenas Sin Tierra de Bolivia (MST-B, La Via Campesina) discussed the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, the implications of American interventionism in the continent, and how Peasant and Indigenous Peoples’ Movements are resisting.
Marta notes,
“The United States has a state policy of expansion and intervention, regardless of who is in power. In 2018, during Mauricio Macri’s presidency, the Trump administration endorsed a $57.1 billion loan to Argentina, the largest in the history of the IMF. The debt we’ve been carrying has severely impacted Argentina. The loan wasn’t used to improve people’s lives, as Macri initially promised. Instead it was used to guarantee financial speculation and once again hand over the country to international organizations that have various objectives against our interests. We ended up in debt, and that was only possible with Trump’s support. Macri’s economic reform program, which was market-oriented, was also backed by Trump. A Trump victory would have a significant impact for Argentina, especially because of his friendship with Milei. With the worsening economic situation, Milei’s legitimacy now depends on a new loan from the IMF. His approval rating has dropped. The Regime of Incentives for Large Investments (RIGI) proposed by Milei, which has already been approved by legislators, clearly opens the door for Trump and the U.S. to take control of Argentina’s natural resources.”
Giovani says,
“Economically, both [Democrats and Republicans] are neoliberals, but the far right promotes a savage policy of completely annihilating those they identify as enemies. Under Bolsonaro’s government, we saw what this meant for agrarian conflicts, mining, big landowners and large estates, as well as increased attacks on Indigenous peoples, small farmers, and peasants. We also witnessed a rise in evictions and police violence against these populations. Both Bolsonaro’s and Milei’s laws, as Marta mentioned, are purely about handing over national lands to foreign capital. What Milei is proposing would deliver maximum accumulation to foreign capital while leaving all the environmental destruction and damage to the Argentine people. We see the same in El Salvador with Bukele, in Ecuador with Noboa, and so on. There are many representatives of this neofascist bloc, which combines neoliberal policies with fascist actors.”
Silvestre also pitched in with insights about how Bolivian movements view U.S. state policy.
“It remains the same whether Democrats or Republicans are in power — it’s always about intervening in Latin American politics to control natural resources. It means continued regional imperialist disputes over our natural resources: the lithium triangle; Venezuelan oil; agribusiness in Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, and Paraguay; and the Guarani aquifers in the Paraná basin. All these natural resources are in dispute. Some U.S. candidates are more focused on Latin America, others more on the Middle East or elsewhere, as we see with the war in Israel and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. But obviously, things are more complicated with Trump. We should remember that during the last months of Trump’s term, the U.S. was almost on the brink of civil war. For us, it meant direct interventions in our governments, especially the progressive ones, including the 2019 coup in Bolivia and the soft coup in Brazil via the judiciary. Trump means constant attacks on progressivism.”
Marta, also shed light on popular movements fighting for land rights and healthy food in Argentina.
“Marta We are dealing with 18 percent of the population living in extreme poverty and 50 percent living in poverty. According to UNICEF, 1.5 million children have only one meal a day. This is the reality we are facing in Argentina. The approval of the RIGI is another looting, a sacrifice of the territory to Monsanto, transnational companies, agribusiness, and mining companies. Bear in mind that this law was approved under a police state and repressive blockade in Buenos Aires — nothing good will come out of that. We are losing food sovereignty and many public goods, including those from the Ministry of Women and those provided by the Family Agriculture law. We have no resources to support agricultural production, and gas prices have gone up by 340 percent. Who can work the land, even on a small plot, with the cost of fuel and the takeover of local seeds? What strategy can get us out of this situation? This is the big question in our debates and political training sessions. We need to develop a collective understanding of what’s happening not only in Argentina but in the region and figure out how we can creatively build popular power. We must convince more comrades that the way out is collective action. We must rebuild a political project for the country where food sovereignty is one of the main goals.”