How Hugo Chavez botched the Arab Spring [View all]

[Zorro]

Nearly two years ago, as unrest spread throughout the Arab world, many wondered what trajectory future revolutions might take. As we now know, Islamists were able to wrest control and capitalise on the Arab Spring and later shaped much of the political and social agenda to their liking.

At the beginning, however, it was far from clear that backward religious conservatives would prevail. Indeed, some may have hoped that the Arab revolutionaries, having sloughed off authoritarian leaders, might rush to embrace more secular rule while injecting left politics into everyday life.

Where could idealistic youth and others turn to for inspiration? Halfway across the world, South America's leftist "Pink Tide" was in full force, having earlier consolidated political control over many countries throughout the region. For years, South American leaders had bucked right-wing economics while making great strides in the social arena through the implementation of successful anti-poverty programmes.

To be sure, populists cultivated religious support and even incorporated messianic political rhetoric at times. By and large, however, the South American left eschewed any radical religious agenda, preferring instead to pursue a more secular path.

More at: http://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/hugo-chavez-botched-arab-spring-090844590.html