Ellner 2004

Ellner, Steve. 2004. "Leftist Goals and the Debate over Anti-Neoliberal Strategy in Latin America". Science &Amp; Society. 68 (1): 10-32.

• Introduction
• neoliberalism in 1990s led to economic stagnation and increase in executive power, not growth and democracy (10-11)
• compares three views of the Left (11)
• Center-left proposed by Jorge Castaneda
• Left that just focuses on anti-neoliberal strategy (Maria Harnecker)
• Left that is anti-neoliberal AS WELL AS anti-imperialism and anti-capitalism, James Petras
• Underlying debate stems from the fact that the anti-neoliberal strategy hasn't been well-articulated
• Center-Left strategy
• achieve social justice and nationalistic goals (12)
• but avoid far reaching reforms
• GOAL: Left will woo centrist voters away from the right
• a sort of neo-Asian tiger model (13)
• regimes that tried this (15)
• Concertación in Chile
• Caldera, Venezuela, 1993
• de la Rua, Argentina, 1999
• Fox, Mexico, 2000
• Results:
• Fox offered PRD a few cabinet positions, which they refused to take
• a bit of a caricature of this idea (16)
• Argentina and Chile won election, but did not push anti-neoliberal strategy, which made Left parties in these alliances lose legitimacy/credibility (16-18)
• left ends up taking a back seat to the center in essentially all of these cases (18)
•  these alliances help solidify democratic transitions (19)
• but they also spurred voter apathy
• to really work, anti-neoliberalism needs to be a harder line for Left parties (21)
• Anti-neoliberalism and anti-imperialism
• Harnecker proposes adopting neoliberal bylines such as efficiency in government, but gaining this by retraining workers (22)
• also, Left can seek alliances with non-left
• Petras: Left should join radical social movements (22)
• thinks there is continued relevance to anti-imperialism argument, doesn't see mutual benefit in globalization (23)
• According to Petras, Lula's alliances with national bourgeoisie is an abandonment of his progressive goals (25)
• Harnecker thinks Lula has made some of the most important anti-neoliberal moves
• neither author is sure of what Chávez is doing/wants to do (26)
• but Petras is willing ot look past his populism to highlight his anti-neoliberal and anti-imperialist ideas (27)
• Conclusion
• Castaneda's ideas focus on globalization, moderation based on inescapable fact of globalization (28)
• Harnecker sees left on defensive since their is not international socialist bloc anymore
• her idea: left can gain power, then slowly make changes on international scale
• focus just on anti-neoliberalism for the time being
• Petras wants it all, ideological purity of sorts, if you are going to be Left, be LEFT! (29)
• events have shown center-left hasn't been an effective strategy so far
• but Petra's approach seems a bit too radical, as seen because both Lula and Chavez had some alliances with middle class, at least to get to power (30)