Books by Facundo Escobar
earches for an Imaginary Kingdom The Legend of the Kingdom of Prester John
Papers by Facundo Escobar
UWI Data, 2021
A schoolteacher and a left-wing union leader will lead the new Peruvian government. The possibili... more A schoolteacher and a left-wing union leader will lead the new Peruvian government. The possibility of a future that incorporates the popular majorities and reverses the extractivist and dependency model is opening up. Castillo´s government will have to meet the high demands of the impoverished rural and urban masses that had been mobilized on different conflictive fronts. These conflicts are systemic and have been raging for a long time. The pandemic, on the one hand, and the Peruvian state and the ruling class that tried to respond to it on the other, left the social and political crisis in the open. Peru is the fourth most populous country on the continent, and the most devastated by the pandemic in the world. Having won the second round of elections by few votes, Castillo also faces those elites, who brutally oppose him. They mostly supported Keiko Fujimori, a right or far right position, obtaining virtually half of all the votes. The old order, which also contains racist elements, deniers of its own past, architects of internal colonialism, resists and will fight. Other sectors may join them if tensions with Castillo grow. Now, they will probably wait and see.
UWI Data, 2021
The Malvinas Islands consists of an Argentine territory illegally occupied by British imperialism... more The Malvinas Islands consists of an Argentine territory illegally occupied by British imperialism. It has a high geopolitical value in terms of the deployment in the South Atlantic region. Together with the South Sandwich and South Georgia Islands (also illegally occupied), in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, they formed the scene of the Malvinas War in 1982 against Argentina. Since 1985, the UK has established there a real military fortress, unfurling an interconnection system with London to guarantee the security and viability of these overseas colonies (protection + logistics). The South Atlantic area consists of a strategic area due to its geographical position, it's very rich biodiversity, and the availability of water and hydrocarbons. But mainly because it´s a privileged setting for the advance of capitalism over Antarctica. Faced with the horizon of the systemic crisis, this becomes even more valuable. Argentina is not giving the necessary responses. Unlike the UK, it seems there is no plan. Meanwhile, as part of Brexit, in the framework of the global crisis, imperialist genetics seems to gain ground while the UK responds flexing the military muscle. They propose the consolidation of its colonial dominions and go to the queue of the United States Asian Pivot maneuver. Hence, Biden will surely respect the British colonial mandate. Let's look at some elements of this scheme that makes up a true 21st century colonialism. ARGENTINE MALVINAS Malvinas are the most important islands in the region. They are part of the Argentine national territory, linked by the common continental platform, as recognized by the UN. They are located 500 km from the Argentine coast and 14,000 km from London. On April 2, 1982, Argentinian forces invaded and regained control over the Islands. The UK reacted by sending a Task Force and imposing a naval and air blockade on the large Argentinian military base. Argentina surrendered on June 14 of that same year; 648 Argentines and 255 British died. Before the war, the UK controlled the islands and a total area of 15,000 km2. After the war, they came to control an area of almost 2 million km2. In 1985, the UK installed the Mount Pleasant Complex, the most powerful military base in the South Atlantic and one of the most powerful in the world. It´s staffed by personnel from all three services where they live along with their families, and constitut a thriving community with its own rights and legality. The complex has an airfield for planes of any size. The Royal Air Force provides a permanent air bridge to the UK and other parts of the world. The Royal Navy currently has the HMS Forth as the main permanent presence on the islands. At various times they have had nuclear submarines patrolling the area. All three forces work jointly, providing reassurance to locals, visiting inhabitants of the outlying islands, supporting every facet of the daily life of society. Mount Pleasant has a radar system, surface-to-air Rapier missiles, an ocean patrol boat, a logistics tanker, a polar ship, a squadron of Eurofighters Typhoon, two heavy lift helicopters, one an in-flight refueling unit and a tactical airlift aircraft. The island's population is around 3,500 islanders and it´s is integrated with, and depends on, the mandate of the British Crown through the military presence, witch according to different records, may be as many as 3,000 people. Military exercises are carried out periodically. On December 16, 2020, for five days civilians received training in sniper shooting, use of machine guns, close combat, and the formation
UWI Data, 2021
Struggle and resistance against covid and imperialism
UWI Data, 2021
Besieged by popular pressure, in the midst of an internal security crisis, the de facto president... more Besieged by popular pressure, in the midst of an internal security crisis, the de facto president of Haiti suspended the constitutional referendum. A massive popular insurgency is growing and the new international intervention is looming.
UWI Data, 2021
On May 15 and 16, municipal elections were held in Chile together with the election of the delega... more On May 15 and 16, municipal elections were held in Chile together with the election of the delegates who will be tasked with drafting a new Constitution of the State. The electoral process is linked with the outbreak of October 2019 as an institutional canalization. The results exposed a phase drift in the country's history. Who are the winners and who are the losers? What ends and what is being born? Without a doubt the electoral process resulted in an electoral debacle of the right wing and the party of order that has been ruling the country since the 1973 coup d'e2 tat. Today we might be witnessing the final dismantling of Pinochetism and the two-party political system in one of the first and main neoliberal labs in the world. The political-cultural dimension of this model has had a head-on collision with the popular rebellion of October 2019, which on its part still has no model to propose as a national project. Either way, a complex social movement had been resisting and insisting and growing throw-out for decades. It seems that it has already produced a radical change, while many other developments are looming on the horizon. Constitutional Reform in the horizon The October 2019 crisis showed (once again and in a magnified form) a people with an immense capacity for mobilization and willingness to fight. It also showed a regime of domination incapable of understanding and responding to the malaise existing in a society that has been tolerating inequality, repression, decades of free-market economics and the rule of businessmen for decades. Literally, Chile was burning. During 2020, the institutionalized political forces advanced in a pacifying agreement and called a plebiscite to change the Constitution enacted in 1980 by the General Augusto Pinochet. October 25, 2020, 80% voted yes for the change. The party of order thought that using their usual mechanisms they would keep everything under control. The calculations went wrong. The electoral process left the "independents" (social leaders and people without party affiliation) as the bulk of the Convention with 65 seats out of a total of 155. The People's List (Lista del Pueblo), a space that emerged from the recent year's social protests, brings together most of these independents (25 seats) becoming the fourth force in the Convention. They declared themselves distant from the traditional political parties, including the Communist Party (PC) and the Broad Front (FA), with whom they were not willing to associate, but with whom they share ideological affinities. Another independent list was the Independent for a New Constitution, which obtained 11 seats. They define themselves as non-militant center-left. Other independent that represent Social Movements obtained 6 seats. Another 5 seats are going to be occupied by independents with no national political or social articulations.
UWI Data, 2021
https://uwidata.com/15528-contributions-to-an-analysis-of-the-internal-crisis-in-theunited-states/
Presentamos aquí un primer aporte en una serie de artículos que publicaremos sobre bienes comunes... more Presentamos aquí un primer aporte en una serie de artículos que publicaremos sobre bienes comunes, extractivismo capitalista y dependencia en el Sur Global, con especial foco en América Latina. Pocos días atrás se hizo pública la discusión en torno a Bolivia y el golpe de estado contra Evo Morales. Corrieron ríos de tinta sobre el vínculo entre con el litio, el metal necesario para la revolución de las baterías de ión litio (BIL) recargables, teléfonos inteligentes, reservorios de energía fijos, herramientas de trabajo, bicicletas eléctricas, equipos médicos y vehículos eléctricos (EV) entre otros. Se habló y se denunció entonces que existen intereses ocultos y se señalaron actores. El detonante vino a través de Twitter: el propio Elon Musk, Jefe Ejecutivo de Tesla, se auto-vinculó con aquella tradición histórica del imperialismo del siglo XX y XXI, la del golpismo y el injerencismo en América Latina."Derrocaremos a quienes queramos derrocar" sostuvo en tono arrogante. A los pocos días el tweet fue borrado aclarando que Tesla obtiene el derivado de litio de los yacimientos de Australia. La base de ese debate consiste en sostener que el litio es un metal estratégico, que significa grandes ingresos para los países que cuenten con el recurso, un gran negocio para las mineras o buenas rentas para el estado soberano, en tanto regalías o intervención en procesos productivos creadores de valor e incorporación de tecnología. Al respecto, Bolivia venía transitando una política estratégica desde 2008, la que se ve truncada con el golpe y la dictadura de Añez. Se venía avanzando en investigación y desarrollo de plantas de producción de carbonato de litio a manos del estado, con desarrollo y fabricación de materiales catódicos y BIL que ya se estaban usando en la red de consumo local (comunidades campesinas) y se proyectaba la exportación para la industria automotriz, comenzando por Europa. Bolivia además cuenta con los yacimientos más grandes del mundo. Es así que capitales, empresas y países centrales interesados en ese metal habrían estado vinculados de alguna forma en el derrocamiento de Morales para tomar control del litio o como forma de evitar el despegue soberano de una nueva potencia, lo que a su vez redundaría en los países de la región y permitiría un rebalanceo de China que pasaría a controlar aún más el litio a escala mundial. Sería también un momento de la guerra comercial entre EEUU y China. Este metal, convertido en carbonato o hidróxido de litio es esencial para las BIL. Por el momento es irremplazable y es materia prima abundante y de fácil acceso. Se lo puede encontrar en muchos países. Seguramente se desarrollarán baterías donde el lítio no será tan importante. Pero de una u otra manera el litio está en el corazón de la reconversión energética global -un enorme negocio que no parará de crecer-catalizado a través de la industria automotriz. ¿Cómo es ese sistema, ese lugar donde gana su importancia el litio? ¿Qué hay de la reconversión energética, los vehículos, la conservación de las energías renovables y las nuevas baterías? ¿Quiénes son los actores de ese proceso?¿Cuál es el rol de los países de América Latina, especialmente Argentina, Bolivia y Chile, en cuyos depósitos de sales se encuentra más del 80% del litio de todo el mundo? El tweet de Musk nos ofrece un punto de partida, un evento que alinea la mirada y echa luz sobre la situación del subcontiente, donde a la hora de hablar de extractivismo todavía emerge la persistencia de relaciones de dependencia respecto de las metrópolis, esta vez, en el marco de la crisis del capitalismo global, particularmente en medio de la crisis ambiental y de bienes comunes. Intentaremos aquí dejar planteados algunos elementos para avanzar en el debate que ya está lanzado.
Este trabajo analiza la movilización política de las clases y grupos subalternos
del oeste andino... more Este trabajo analiza la movilización política de las clases y grupos subalternos
del oeste andino y sierras centrales durante un período de las guerras civiles en
la Argentina (noviembre de 1863-enero de 1869). A la luz de nuevas informaciones,
indagamos e identificamos diferentes facetas y modalidades que adquieren
esas experiencias, especialmente en las provincias de Mendoza, San
Juan y La Rioja. En este sentido, redefinimos los fenómenos usualmente denominados
“Revolución de los Colorados”, “montoneras o rebelión de Felipe
Varela” y “rebelión federal”, producidos hacia 1866, atendiendo antecedentes,
desarrollo y consecuencias.
Palabras clave: oeste andino - sierras centrales - movilización política - grupos
subalternos - federalismo
Abstract: This paper intends to analyze the political movements of subaltern groups and social classes in western Andes and central mountain range, during civil wars in Argentina (period November 1863-January 1869). It inquires and identifies various aspects and modalities of such experiences, particularly in the Mendoza, San Juan and La Rioja provinces. The phenomena occurred in 1866, known as " Revolución de los Colorados " , " montoneras o rebelión de Felipe Varela " and " rebelión federal " , are redefined according to their background, development and consequences.
Key words: western Andes - central mountain range - political movements -
subaltern groups - federalism
Un análisis del lugar de Malasia, el Estrecho de Malaca, punto estratégico en el comercio marítim... more Un análisis del lugar de Malasia, el Estrecho de Malaca, punto estratégico en el comercio marítimo mundial, en la geotrategia mundial, puntualmente, vinculado con el Acuerdo Estratégico Trans Pacífico de Asociación Económica impulsado por Estados Unidos. Se constituye en un espacio clave en la disputa global entre dos grandes potencias, Estados Unidos, con su maniobra llamada Pivot Asiático, y China, con su proyectada Ruta de la Seda
Uploads
Books by Facundo Escobar
Papers by Facundo Escobar
del oeste andino y sierras centrales durante un período de las guerras civiles en
la Argentina (noviembre de 1863-enero de 1869). A la luz de nuevas informaciones,
indagamos e identificamos diferentes facetas y modalidades que adquieren
esas experiencias, especialmente en las provincias de Mendoza, San
Juan y La Rioja. En este sentido, redefinimos los fenómenos usualmente denominados
“Revolución de los Colorados”, “montoneras o rebelión de Felipe
Varela” y “rebelión federal”, producidos hacia 1866, atendiendo antecedentes,
desarrollo y consecuencias.
Palabras clave: oeste andino - sierras centrales - movilización política - grupos
subalternos - federalismo
Abstract: This paper intends to analyze the political movements of subaltern groups and social classes in western Andes and central mountain range, during civil wars in Argentina (period November 1863-January 1869). It inquires and identifies various aspects and modalities of such experiences, particularly in the Mendoza, San Juan and La Rioja provinces. The phenomena occurred in 1866, known as " Revolución de los Colorados " , " montoneras o rebelión de Felipe Varela " and " rebelión federal " , are redefined according to their background, development and consequences.
Key words: western Andes - central mountain range - political movements -
subaltern groups - federalism
del oeste andino y sierras centrales durante un período de las guerras civiles en
la Argentina (noviembre de 1863-enero de 1869). A la luz de nuevas informaciones,
indagamos e identificamos diferentes facetas y modalidades que adquieren
esas experiencias, especialmente en las provincias de Mendoza, San
Juan y La Rioja. En este sentido, redefinimos los fenómenos usualmente denominados
“Revolución de los Colorados”, “montoneras o rebelión de Felipe
Varela” y “rebelión federal”, producidos hacia 1866, atendiendo antecedentes,
desarrollo y consecuencias.
Palabras clave: oeste andino - sierras centrales - movilización política - grupos
subalternos - federalismo
Abstract: This paper intends to analyze the political movements of subaltern groups and social classes in western Andes and central mountain range, during civil wars in Argentina (period November 1863-January 1869). It inquires and identifies various aspects and modalities of such experiences, particularly in the Mendoza, San Juan and La Rioja provinces. The phenomena occurred in 1866, known as " Revolución de los Colorados " , " montoneras o rebelión de Felipe Varela " and " rebelión federal " , are redefined according to their background, development and consequences.
Key words: western Andes - central mountain range - political movements -
subaltern groups - federalism