After 12 left-leaning Latin Americans won presidencies from November 2005 through 2006, how will the 21st Century Socialism movement affect the region in the future?

Several factors contribute to Latin America's leftward shift. Trade agreements that harm the citizens of Latin American countries ignite opposition. Wars in the Middle East distract international political and business groups, and the resulting lack of concentrated opposition permits the people of Latin America new freedom to choose their nations' economic and political policies. Finally, international political and business interests are perhaps reluctant to employ the murderous tactics historically used to prevent Latin American leftists from gaining and keeping power, probably in large part due to the heightened glare of electronic media. If these conditions persist, Latin American policymakers will face an increase in popular support for socialist policies.

Latin America has provided cheap resources and labor, primarily for the United States, for several hundred years. The advantages of cheap resources and labor to U.S. industries are obvious. The disadvantages to the majority of Latin Americans are correspondingly clear. An increase in wages in Latin America meets with resistance from businesses intent on protecting wide profit margins. In addition, increased wealth in countries traditionally used as sources of raw materials meets resistance because increased wealth means decreased exports. For example, when Venezuela's car-per-capita numbers begin to rival car-per-capita numbers in the United States, Venezuelans will use more oil and export less.

The peoples of Latin American nations have attempted to adopt socialist governments and policies many times in the past. The response to these attempts, particularly from the U.S., has always been swift and violent. In Guatemala, United Fruit (now Chiquita) called upon its contacts in the CIA to topple democratically elected, left-leaning President Jacobo Arbenz in a coup. Consequently, the Guatemalan government, police, and military murdered over 150,000 people in decades-spanning wars, uprisings, and counter insurgencies.

Torture and terror were also widespread following the 1970's U.S. backed coup that removed left-leaning President Salvador Allende from power and installed Dictator Augusto Pinochet over the people of Chile. U.S. interference in Nicaragua's leftward swing fueled the Contra War of the 1970's and

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