Ben Norton is an investigative journalist and the founder and editor of Multipolarista, a new independent anti-imperialist media outlet focusing on the rise and struggles of left-wing movements, governments, and oligarchs in Latin America through the lens of a burgeoning multipolar world. He lives in Nicaragua, has traveled across Latin America for some time and has done extensive work on the Middle East as well as Europe.
Ben’s eagle eye perspective brings clarity to what he points out was “two coups in two days” on December 6 and 7, explaining the 4th generational warfare used against left-wing vice president of Argentina, Cristina Kirchner and former Peruvian president, Pedro Castillo and likening them to the embattled former President of Pakistan, Imran Khan who, similar to Cristina Kirchner, also survived a recent assassination attempt
Norton paints a picture of President Castillo’s time in power with intricate detail. Castillo seemed almost doomed to fail from the start, and joins the long line of Peruvians heads of state removed by the country’s deeply conservative congress. After having been politically isolated from his allies and at odds with the right-wing alliance trying to impeach him, Castillo attempted a desperate, last-minute action and tried to dissolve congress. This was a legal move. However, Castillo went from the halls of power to being under arrest in mere hours.
Staying true to the Multipolarista name, Ben explains how Argentina’s internal struggles against right-wing oligarchs plays out on the geopolitical chessboard and how it impacts revived efforts by regional powers such as Mexico and Brazil to create a regional currency and break free of dollar hegemony.
United States dollars are used in over 90% of exports in the Americas, meaning countries who run afoul of U.S. foreign policy are left vulnerable to being shut off from the international financial system or being placed under sanctions, such as countries like Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela. A UN expert estimated over 100,000 deaths in Venezuela as having occurred due primarily to difficulty receiving medicine under US sanctions. For Latin American nations, therefore, breaking free from the dollar is not just about national sovereignty, but also national security.
Lee points out that the countries who come under the most severe attacks by the United States empire are generally ones who try to create alternative currencies, such as Libya, that was quickly attacked and destroyed after President Gaddafi tried to establish the Golden Dinar. The destruction of Libya was a war crime that Hillary Clinton later hoped to use as a campaign talking point.
Explaining how countries in Europe without a national currency such as Greece have had themselves subjugated by unpayable debt, Ben tells of a process unfolding in Latin America that is hoping to break out of dollar hegemony. Efforts to establish a “Bank of The South” are led by Andrés Arauz, an economist who served under former Ecuadorian President, Rafael Correa. This bank seeks to create a new currency and is expected to include tens of billions of dollars in capital from a union of countries including Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Colombia.
Watch Lee Camp’s interview this week with journalist Ben Norton on “The Most Censored Interviews”.
Lee Camp is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and activist. Camp is the host of Behind The Headlines’ new series: The Most Censored News With Lee Camp. He is a former comedy writer for the Onion and the Huffington Post and has been a touring stand-up comic for 20 years.