Iran and Latin America construct a New World System

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:20:16 GMT

By Yusuf Fernandez, Press TV, Madrid

Revolutionary Bolivian President Evo Morales said his September visit to Tehran was "a symbol of the unity and solidarity between Iran and Bolivia." The visit cemented a close relationship between the two nations, which has been growing since 2006 when Morales was swept to power by popular vote as the first indigenous president of Bolivia.


"The two revolutionary nations and the governments of Iran and Bolivia are natural allies and will remain supportive of one another under any circumstance," affirmed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.


"Although there is a long geographical distance between the Iranian and Bolivian nations, our hearts, aspirations and thoughts are very similar to each other.
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Hearts, aspirations and thoughts

The natural friendship between the two countries has grown out of their shared stance against imperialism and their rejection of interference by foreign powers. The strong anti American stance by Morales was key to his landslide election victory two years ago. Within 6 months of becoming president, Morales brought energy production back under national ownership, rejecting foreign control of Bolivia's natural gas reserves, which are the second largest in South America.


During his Tehran visit, Morales said that the call for freedom in Latin America today is overwhelming. With a strong will, Bolivia is resisting and standing up to foreign powers, and has chosen its independent status in a fully democratic way. The nation wants to remain independent, decide its own fate, to administer justice and to progress.


Morales also rejected the intervention of the United Nations Security Council in Iran's nuclear program, saying it "lacks any legal or technical justification".


The Non-Aligned Movement

Both Iran and Bolivia are members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Morales congratulated Iranians for the successful NAM foreign ministerial meeting held recently in Tehran, which indicated Iran's very significant role in international as well as South-South relations.


The movement consists of countries who believe in their national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The purpose of the group is to "struggle against imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism, Zionism, and all forms of foreign aggression, occupation, domination, interference or hegemony as well as against great power and bloc politics.
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Iran joined the movement in 1979 following the Islamic Revolution. Iranian leaders believed that the objectives of NAM were aligned with their foreign policy goals, which is a sentiment shared by the many Latin American members of NAM.


Working together

The consequence of such shared understanding is collaboration between Iran and Bolivia in many areas. La Paz and Tehran first established relations in September 2007 when they signed trade and energy agreements, and issued a joint statement recognizing "the rights of developing nations to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
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Ahmadinejad visited Bolivia last year where he pledged a $1 billion aid package to the country.


In this recent visit, Morales confirmed his desire to further expand relations and announced that he would move Bolivia's only embassy in the Middle East from Egypt to the Iranian capital of Tehran.


"In addition to promoting political relations, this visit aims at enhancing bilateral ties in the fields of commerce, industry, agriculture, gas and oil," said the Bolivian president.


Iran's economic ties to Bolivia include investments in milk processing plants, TV and radio stations and hydrocarbon and hydroelectric exploration. It was also announced in August that Iran would help finance the creation of a state cement firm in Bolivia.


Morales did not hide his admiration of Iran's achievements in economic and technological areas. "I praise officials of the country for the development Iran has achieved in various fields and cannot at the same time decline to express my surprise." He added that during his two-day stay in Tehran he had learned many things and hoped to use this experience in his own country.


Wider Latin America

After centuries of foreign rule and interference, many Latin American countries have awakened to true geopolitical independence. In recent years, global dynamics and internal political changes have reshaped the political configuration of Central and South America. Under the new framework, Latin American governments are distancing themselves from Washington. Many are facing Western criticism as a result, but Iran is keen to establish strong partnerships with such nations.


Iran has established strong relations with Latin American countries, including Venezuela, Cuba, Ecuador and Nicaragua.


Venezuela

Since coming to power in 1998, President Hugo Chavez has increased cooperation with Tehran. He has made five official visits to Iran and has publicly stated that he considers the country a model for development. Iran has cemented its relations with Caracas through investment, with bilateral trade currently standing at approximately $2.5 billion. In March 2007, Iranian vehicles were introduced to the Venezuelan market through joint venture Venirauto; energy companies in the two countries have formed a joint venture company, Venezirian Oil.


Venezuela and Iran have agreed to act jointly in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). They are also working together to persuade other oil-producing countries to reduce oil production in order to raise prices and thus promote their economic development. Chavez has welcomed Iran's observer membership of the Cuban-Venezuelan alternative to the US-promoted Free Trade Area of the Americas, which further illustrates the growing relationship between Caracas and Tehran.


Cuba

Cuba is one of Iran's most natural allies in the region. US sanctions have been imposed on both countries as a penalty for their pursuit of independent policies. Cuba has repeatedly defended Iran's right to access nuclear energy. In a February 2006 vote at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Cuba, along with Venezuela and Syria, voted against an unfair resolution, promoted by imperialist and Zionist international circles, to impose sanctions on Iran. Havana and Tehran are now exploring cooperation in the textile, agriculture, and petrochemical industries.


Nicaragua

In 1979, the Sandinist revolution in Nicaragua destroyed the incumbent pro-US regime and became a light of hope for Latin America. The revolutions of Nicaragua and Iran soon initiated friendly relations and Nicaraguans found inspiration in the Iranian revolution.


The victory of Daniel Ortega in the 2006 presidential elections has deepened Iran-Nicaragua relations. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was a guest of honor at Ortega's inauguration ceremony in January 2007, where the Iranian president was awarded two state medals. The two leaders signed agreements for bilateral cooperation in 25 sectors including energy, trade, the economy, infrastructure, student exchange, and joint business ventures.


Brazil - Mexico - Ecuador

In 2004, Brazil and Iran took their first step toward economic and political cooperation by signing a memorandum of understanding for increased communication and commercial exchange. In February 2005, Iran and Mexico signed a memorandum of understanding to promote collaboration in oil, gas and petrochemical sectors. Iranian authorities have already met with officials from Mexico's state oil company, Pemex. Iranian-Ecuadorian cultural and commercial cooperation has also increased in recent years and Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has stated that he wants closer ties with Tehran.


No country in the Muslim world enjoys the same close relationships with Latin America. This highlights the strategic and long-term vision of the Iranian government, which recognizes that Latin America will play an increasingly important role in world affairs. The bonds that have been established are one of the main achievements of President Ahmadinejad's foreign policy.


Modern history

During the Cold War era, Latin America (with the exception of Cuba) was considered to be under America's 'sphere of influence'. Latin American people suffered from US imperialistic policies for more than two centuries.


During Iran's Islamic Revolution, Latin America witnessed the collapse of the Shah's regime that had given away the wealth of the country to the US and Britain. Latin America saw the unstoppable Iranian people, who took over the streets following the call of Imam Khomeini. Latin America realized that they should pay attention to a country capable of overthrowing such a regime, and one that could end US domination.


The recent popular revolutions that have taken place across Latin America, and which have brought to power true national leaders such as Evo Morales and Hugo Chavez illustrate that Iran and Latin America have much in common.


The West is threatened by the relationships that are emerging between Latin America and Iran, and has condemned them. Thomas Shannon, the senior US official for Latin America, said recently that Iran was making allies in the region to counter Washington's traditional influence and could use such relations to threaten US security. He urged Latin American governments to comply with US sanctions against Iran and called them to be "vigilant".


However, Latin American countries want to cooperate with Iran because it is an independent state. They know that if they sign a contract with Iran, they will not be betrayed due to pressures or threats from foreign powers.


"Nothing and no country can harm our relations with the revolutionary country of Iran," Morales told reporters after meeting President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his recent visit.


Immanuel Wallerstein, professor emeritus at Yale and director of the Fernand Braudel Center in New York, argues that the Bush administration's endless wars have exposed the limits of American power. US hegemony is coming to an irreversible end, revealing, Wallerstein says, "multiple poles of geopolitical power". He predicts that we are entering "a situation of structural crisis towards the construction of a new world system [with no hegemonic power].
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In this new system, Iran and Latin America can play a decisive role in international politics. They own important energy resources, educated populations and the determination to remain independent. In this sense, cooperation between Latin America and Iran can bring to an end the era of US imperialistic policies and usher in a multi-polar world.

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