By Dr. Kyle Varner Latin America is a fascinating place with an amazing culture and a political landscape that is ten times more interesting than anything that happens in the United States or Europe. It is also a region with a profound ideological sickness that has caused multiple once-wealthy countries, such as Cuba and Venezuela, and to a lesser extent Argentina, to self-immolate. Today, Latin America is experiencing a crisis of enormous proportions, and thae extent of the crisis is underappreciated by most observers in the world. Most people know about the crisis in Venezuela–about the six million refugees, the rampant spread of diseases like tuberculosis, measles and malaria and the extrajudicial murders carried out by the criminal regime of Nicolas Maduro. What many observers don’t know is that while the Maduro regime has received widespread condemnation throughout Latin America, there remain a handful of vocal supporters as well as an enormous number of individuals who refuse to recognize that the collapse and devastation in Venezuela is the inevitable result of revolutionary socialism. Socialism, in short, remains popular as an idea despitethe fact that people all across Latin American see desperate, suffering Venezuelan refugees, in person, on a daily basis. Why is socialism such a popular idea in Latin America? A variety of historical factors conspire to create a near perfect storm. Spanish colonizers created a rigid class structure that was highly exploitative, and even after independence much of the rigid class structure remained, creating feelings of economic resentment among a large portion of the population. Latin America also experiences a culture phenomena called patrimonialism, whereby the population tends to look for political figures that resemble saviors (think of Simon Bolivar, Eva Peron, Che Guvara, and Hugo Chavez as examples of fervent personality cults that have driven Latin American politics …
The Fight for Freedom Anywhere is the Fight for Freedom Everywhere: The visit of Dr. Kyle Varner to Libertarian Movement Colombia
By María Alejandra Londoño The Libertarian Movement of Colombia held a successful encounter with local members during last Friday 12th of July with Liberty International Board Member Kyle Varner as the main guest. The event took place in a local pub in Bogota and the topic of the discussion was the future of liberty in Venezuela. The event brought together libertarians from different sectors such as university professors, entrepreneurs, students and members of Think Tanks; all of them, eager to learn how to contribute with the cause and hear Dr. Varner’s experiences and advice while enjoying a locally produced beer. The Venezuelan situation is extremely relevant for Colombia, many of the justice and security issues related to the peace process are closely tied to freedom in Venezuela. That is why at the event many members of the Libertarian Movement of Venezuela attended to also discuss what both Colombians and Venezuelans could do to keep the fight for freedom alive. Kyle is a fervent defender of liberty all around the world, and given his role as a volunteer near the border, the fight for freedom in Venezuela is very close to his heart. Back in 2010 when he was doing his residence in Puerto Rico, he learned Spanish, trough YouTube videos of Hugo Chavez he practiced his listening but, he realized then, that the ideas of Hugo Chavez were absolutely evil and despicable as well as his ideology Chavism. Since then, Kyle’s fight for freedom has only gotten stronger and because he also speaks Spanish his support to those who believe in liberty has surpass the boarders of his native country. Chavism is now the cancer of Venezuela, the regime that has perpetuated violence and thousands of stories of suffering from millions of Venezuelans, that nowadays have to leave their country …
Liberty International Podcast #1
Liberty International is a podcast hosted by LI’s President Jacek Spendel. The idea behind the podcast is to introduce passionate freedom fighters form faraway countries to international audience. Guest of 1st episode is Jorge Galicia Rodriguez who is a young lawyer and one of the active oppositionists, fighting against socialist regime of Nicolas Maduro. Jorge is involved in the youth branch of VENTE Venezuela, classical liberal political party which is becoming gradually more and more popular. Jorge is Alumnus of Project Arizona 2019 – leadership project of Liberty International, designed for young liberty activists. Project Arizona is organized every year in Phoenix and its website is http://www.projectarizona.us https://youtu.be/egFRkXL5z
Cleaning Up “Marxist Trash” is the Best Way for Bolsonaro to Build a Better Brazil
By Tho Bishop The long-running joke about Brazil is that it is the country of the future, and always will be. If Jair Bolsonaro is able to follow through on the tone he has set at the start of his presidency, however, it may not be long until the future becomes the present. Officially sworn into office at the start of the year, the Bolsonaro administration has already captured international attention. Having been portrayed for years by Western media as a sinister threat to Brazilian democracy, in spite of being a successful populist candidate embraced by a diverse electorate, the same outlets have been quick to depict the new government as a hostile threat to minority rights. The real story, however, is Bolsonaro’s apparent commitment to the sort of ideological revolution that is desperately needed for his country to thrive. While history shows we should never trust a politician to deliver on lofty promises of liberty and freedom, the initial days of his presidency have moves deserving of praise. To start, his inaugural address, Bolsonaro vowed to follow through on his campaign message of dramatically changing a government plagued by corruption and economic crisis: “I stand humbled by the honor to address you all as President of Brazil, and stand before the whole nation on this day as the day when the people began to liberate themselves from socialism, from the inversion of values, from state gigantism and from political correctness. … Our flag will never be red. It will only be red if we need to bleed over it to keep it green and yellow.” He followed this up with a tweet vowing “to tackle the Marxist garbage in our schools head on.” What’s encouraging here is that Bolsonaro is identifying that the true enemy of his administration is not simply a political …
The Brazilian Hero Who Died With the Word ‘Liberty’ on His Lips
By Pedro Mutzig Two hundred and one years ago, Domingos José Martins was shot in Recife, the capital of Pernambuco, a Northeastern state in Brazil. His last words, interrupted by his executioners, were “I die for liber…”. His freedom of speech assaulted in the last moments of life, he was unable to finish the word “liberty.” A Freer Brazil Domingos José Martins is one of many heroes who struggled to promote liberty and helped shaped the history of Brazil in the process. A more prosperous, free and fair society was his ideal. His story illustrates that the current upsurge of Brazilians’ interest in freedom and free markets is neither an isolated nor an unprecedented phenomenon. What we are seeing today is a revival of ideas rooted deep in our society. It’s important for liberty’s defenders to go back in history and look for individuals who are examples of courage, integrity and heroism. They can inspire us to act with even more confidence. For that very purpose, I present the Domingos José Martins story here, with particular attention to the the social context of his time. He was a key figure in one of the greatest popular mobilizations of our colonial period: the Pernambucana Revolution. The Life of Domingos José Martins Domingos José Martins was born in Marataízes in the Atlantic coastal state of Espírito Santo in 1781. His father commanded a small outpost of the Brazilian military, which served to prevent the clandestine landing of slaves and to protect travelers from indigenous attacks. When he completed his brief military career, he commenced business studies in the state capital of Vitória (the town where I live today), later completing his academic education in Portugal. After graduation he moved to London as an employee of the Portuguese firm, Dourado Dias & Carvalho. …
Liberty International Members Support Free Markets in Venezuela
Liberty International members are always hard at work supporting liberty activists around the world. This week Dr. Kyle Varner and Matthew Bowler joined with the Mises-Mambi Institute to sponsor Luis Fernando Ojeda, a very prolific liberty activist in Venezuela to attend an important liberty-oriented conference in Chile. Dr. Varner, Liberty International Board Member remarked, “Freedom and capitalism are under assault throughout Latin America, but the spirit and dedication that Venezuelan liberty activists demonstrate in the face of some of the most brutal statist oppression is a strong inspiration. I’m proud to support freedom and free markets in Venezuela!” Luis Fernando Ojeda is a heavy hitter in Venezuela’s liberty movement. He’s the Aragua state coordinator for the opposition party Vente Venezuela and the mastermind behind Infolitics, which is one of the most popular libertarian publications in the Spanish speaking world. Foundation for Progress Chile invited Luis to their upcoming conference in Valparaiso on August 2. Dr. Varner and Mr. Bowler are pleased to have been able to make his attendance possible, and both look forward to more support for the Venezuelan Liberty movement in the future.
Equal Freedom For Men and Women!
In Chile this year’s International Women’s Day was marked by president Michelle Bachelet’s announcement of a new Ministry of Women and Gender Equality to be installed this year. Aimed at ending gender inequality and violence and discrimination towards women, the ministry will propose and implement public policies to combat the perceived gender gap as part of a National Program of Equality. Other measures that have been passed recently include the obligation for political parties to have at least 40 percent of their candidates be female. Female participation in the Chilean labor force has historically been below that of comparable countries, although it has been on the rise in the last decade. On the surface Bachelet may seem like a brave crusader for justice on this issue, and perhaps she even perceives herself as such. Yet it is worth examining what she is really advocating for. After all, no matter how noble one’s goals, the specific actions taken to achieve that end should themselves stand up to ethical scrutiny, even aside from the question of their effectiveness. In fact the nobler the goals the more important choosing the right steps toward them becomes. What is that old saying about the road to hell? Being a Socialist Party president it is easy to identify the ideological bias upon which Bachelet’s actions are based. At the root of this ideology lies the utopian idea that society can be molded and formed into perfection from the top down. This basic premise has many ramifications, all founded on the idea that paradise can simply be legislated into existence by the stroke of a pen. In short it is the sort of thinking that leads to 40,000 new laws taking effect in a single country in a single year. After any initiatives aimed at the aforementioned …
What Cues Can South America Take From Europe?
Over the past few years Greece has probably made the news more than ever before. Whether it be protesters in the streets, election results, or the announcement of some new government policy, whatever happens in Greece seems to be written about in all corners of the world. Just recently the fierce rhetoric of a relatively obscure populist left-wing party made international headlines and fueled new speculations about the future of one of the world’s major currencies, if not the world economy and financial markets. The eventual ascent of that same party, Syriza, to Parliament has all eyes both on the Old Continent and across the world focused on its plan of action. Mind you, we are talking here about a country whose GDP represents less than 0.4% of the world economy. In the meantime, incessant government intervention into the economy has caused major upheaval in several countries in South America. Venezuela is currently experiencing the worst depression in decades, Argentina’s economy is in shambles once again on the heels of its most recent default, and since the World Cup bubble popped Brazil has equally dipped into recession. These countries dwarf Greece in terms of population as well as contribution to world GDP, and some of their resources make them important players in global commodity markets. Yet aside from some news outlets reporting on Venezuelans having to stand in line for hours for even the most rudimentary items or the mysterious death of a federal prosecutor in Argentina, major media are hardly paying attention. The latter, far from being the result of a massive media cover-up, reflects a general sentiment in South America. Here in Chile, for instance, nobody in their right mind would dream up some theory about the aforementioned woes causing a spillover effect that might bring the entire …
How Does Healthcare Reform Impact Liberty in Chile?
For more than three decades Chile has had a dual healthcare system consisting of both state-run and private health services, which has provided more Chileans with greater choice and better access to such services. Initially funded by way of a 4 percent tax on income, by the late nineties the public Fondo Nacional de Salud (FONASA) started running deficits as one in four Chileans opted for private insurance instead. Consequently the obligatory contribution was raised to 7 percent, helping force a significant chunk of people back into the old system. Unfortunately government meddling did not stop there. In 2005 a fresh round of regulations listed 56 priority health problems that all insurers must cover. Unsurprisingly, premiums spiked across the board that year as well as the following years. Unfazed, the first Bachelet administration expanded the list to cover a total of 80 medical conditions. The result is as predictable as it is inevitable, and the unfortunate thing is it usually leads to more demonization of the market and increased calls for more heavy-handed government intervention. Considering the aforementioned developments it seems as though that process is already playing out. Needless to say, the selfless crusaders for more equity – be it in healthcare or whatever other area of life – make no mention of inflation, currently estimated at 4.5 percent, that is stealthily yet ceaselessly robbing all Chileans of their purchasing power. Nor is there any mention of the fact that patent laws are artificially propping up drug prices, or that compulsory medical licensing is keeping competition out of the market. Experiences with “free” state-run healthcare and the resulting long waiting lines and other unintended consequences such as in Canada and the UK are equally overlooked if not purposely left out of the debate. To point the finger to the …
The State of Freedom in Chile
Perhaps one would not know it for some of the articles that have appeared on this website, but libertarians have plenty of reason to be optimistic about Chile. The country’s economy consistently ranks as by far the freest in Latin America, reaching tenth place in the world in the most recent ranking. Free market type policies have lifted millions of Chileans out of poverty over a time span of mere decades while making its capital city a major hub for international business. And despite recent allegations of large-scale corruption regarding political campaign contributions, on the whole corruption is virtually unheard of. Such a success story literally sets Chile apart from every other nation on the continent, as evidenced by the fact that it is set to become its first developed country by the end of this decade. Yet its unrivaled success has all but silenced critics. On the contrary, it seems like the very prosperity that made Chile the envy of Latin America has lulled some would-be free market advocates to sleep, while proponents of state intervention are running on all cylinders. “Free” education and healthcare and Keynesian economic stimulus – read: more wealth confiscation – are just some of the talking points among those aiming to perfect society by way of scribbling words on pieces of paper. Last March an OECD report made the headlines in Chile for categorizing the country as among the most unequal in terms of income distribution. Such reports provide the kind of ammunition used by interventionists to beat the drum for all manner of reforms, including the recently approved educational reforms. Given the relative lack of government meddling in daily Chilean life – at least on the scale people in most developed nations have become accustomed to – some are eager to seize every …