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While this show has principally focused on the much more talked about Ukraine during Russia’s offensive, there has been considerably less attention to the turmoil seizing the third largest country in South America.
In the past seven years, the Republic of Peru has undergone six changes in the presidency, which makes it a challenging place to govern. But the most recent, that of the ouster of President Pedro Castillo and implementing Dina Boularte to replace him caused waves of protests that still grip the country. People living in rural regions of the country were most opposed to Castillo’s removal. Protests in the Andean highlands were particularly highlighted, areas where the inital victory of Castillo, being a left-leaning teacher with Indigenous roots, was seen as historic for the impoverished and Indigenous communities. [1][2]
Abroad, there were a considerable number of countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Columbia, Honduras, Mexico and Venezuela continue to recognize Castillo and not Boularte as the democratically elected President. Brazil, Chile, the United States, and Canada meanwhile support the ousting and Boularte’s continuing to govern until 2026. This is spite of a recent poll by the Institute for Peruvian Studies which found that 80 per cent of the population of the country wants early elections.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
Researching the incident reveals more details of the context for this uprising. Peru is the second largest producer of copper in the world. The communities supplying the mineral are not getting compensation despite sky high international prices. Pedro Castillo was reluctant to impose emergency measures on protests. [9]
As well, there are indications that the ouster in December 2022 was arranged with help from beyond Peru. As Peter Koenig pointed out in a January 2023 essay:
“In the last two to three years, almost all of Latin American countries were turned to the “left” – the apparent left – which looks suspiciously like WEF / CIA-orchestrated elections or coups.” [10]
This week, on the Global Research News Hour, we present a panel discussion presented by The Canadian Foreign Policy Institute. Hosted in February, the panelists described the developments around the population, U.S. and Canadian interests. The speakers were Eliana Carlin Ronquillo, Ben Norton, author and activist Yves Engler and Professor of International Development Studies Kirsten Francescone.
See unabridged video from Canadian Foreign Policy Institute
Eliana Carlin Ronquillo is a Peruvian political scientist. As an activist she advocates for Gender equality and human rights.
Ben Norton is a journalist and analyst focused primarily on geopolitics , international political economy and US foreign policy, and based in Latin America.
Kirsten Francescone is assistant professor in International Development Studies at Trent University and a former Latin America program coordinator at Miningwatch Canada.
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December 12, 2022, ‘Colombia, Argentina, Mexico and Bolivia, in favor of Castillo’, Associated Press; https://apnews.com/article/c4152daee74d1e733412ee70386c48a1
January 26, 2023, ‘Peru recalls ambassador to Honduras for ‘unacceptable interference’ as diplomatic spat deepens’, Reuters; https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/peru-recalls-ambassador-honduras-unacceptable-interference-diplomatic-spat-2023-01-26/
Marcelo Rochabrun and Carolina Pulice (April 20, 2022),’Peru declares state of emergency to restore copper production at Cuajone mine’, Reuters; https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/peru-declares-state-emergency-restore-copper-production-cuajone-mine-2022-04-20/
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