Review of "South of the Border"

The new Oliver Stone documentary "South of the Border", is an attempt by the director to make sense of the recent change in Latin American politics. During the course of the film, Stone visits several of the countries of South America which have elected Leftist presidents in the last few years. The most promienent one featured in the film is Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who is thought by many to have spearheaded the new leftist trend in Latin America.

Stone starts out the film by showing some of the portrayals of Chavez in the U.S. media. Chavez is accused of being a drug addict, insane, and a dictator by the U.S. press. However, when Stone travels to South America we see a very different person. During the course of the interviews Chavez appears kind, articulate, and even funny. In one particularly humorous scene, Chavez takes Stone on a tour of a worker's cooperative, where corn is made. He announces before they arrive that this is where they are building the Iranian atomic bomb, a reference to the reports in the U.S. press that Chavez is helping to fund terrorism against the United States.

After interviewing Chavez, Stone speaks to other leaders around the continent, such as Evo Morales of Bolivia, Christina Kirchner of Argentina, Fernando Lugo of Paraguay, Rafael Correa of Ecuador, and finally Raul Castro of Cuba. Each of these leaders has a distinct insight into why their countries have become more suseptible to leftist politics in the last few years. The common theme from all of them is that their countries have changed mainly due to the policies of the IMF and the United States government, which have bankrupted the citizens of Latin America since the 1970s. The different presidents also make very good points discrediting the lies published by the U.S. media. Kirchner of Argentina, refutes the claim that Chavez is a dictator, by pointing out that Chavez has held 13 different elections since his initial election in 1998.

The film makes one question why is the United States so fearful of these countries. Not one of these leaders has ever made any threats against the United States, and they have militaries which could not possibly match the strength of our own. Through the film, the viewer can see two reasons. First, the new leftist leaders are limiting the influence of the United States in Latin America. Since the Monroe Doctrine, Latin America has been thought to be part of the United States sphere of influence where U.S. policy makers could make profit, no matter what the cost to the citizens of those countries. Second, the rise of leftist leaders in Latin America ignites the fear that the U.S. can be challenged and that this may inspire others to challenge United States hegemony around the world.

At the end of the film one of the film's writers, Tariq Ali, is interviewed. Ali optimistically states that he believes the wave of leftist beliefs in Latin America could spread to the United States through the large amount of immigrants from Latin America. This is very hopeful and does not take into account the existing political and social structures which already exist in the United States. Ali does not take into account that a large percentage of Latin immigrants are members of the upper classes, who are deeply committed to removing leftists from power. However, in this author's opinion the rise of leftist leaders in Latin America might have a progressive effect on the United States. More and more people in the United States have become interested in the policies of the Latin American leaders. As more people are exposed to the truths about these leaders, maybe more people will demand that our leaders carry out the same kinds of egalitarian philosophies. In addition to this, if the current trend of electing leftist leaders continues, perhaps Latin America will be able to create a new united power block which will be on more equal footing with the United States. If this happens, the United States might be forced to adopt more progressive policies in order to combat the egalitarianism from the South.

"South of the Border" is essential viewing for anyone interested in the recent developments in Latin America. Not only does it provide an introduction to the situations in these countries but it gives great insight into the leaders personalities. President Morales ends his interview with a quote from Tupac Katari, an Indian leader who led a rebellion against the Spanish colonizers. Katari was murdered by the Spanish, but his last words were "Today I die as one, but I will return as millions." In Latin America today, millions have spoken up against the ruthless economic policies of the United States. Only time will tell if others around the world will join them.