Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

State Reform and Anti-Neoliberal Rhetoric in Paraguay

2007; Mid-Atlantic Council of Latin American Studies; Volume: 18; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.23870/54

2474-9621

Brian Turner,

International Relations in Latin America

On August 15, 2003, Nicanor Duarte Frutos was sworn in as the new president of Paraguay, extending the period of continuous control of the executive by the Colorado Party that began in 1947. Duarte Frutos surprised observers with a stinging critique of “savage neo-liberalism” and promised that his government would struggle against imperialism. These comments must have pleased a number of the presidents in attendance, including Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Cuba’s Fidel Castro, Nestor Kirchner from Argentina, and most importantly, Lula Da Silva of Brazil. Indeed, many observers felt that the historic election of Lula in December 2002 opened an important new space for official rhetoric against the “Washington consensus” that dominated the discourse about political economy in Latin America in the 1990s.