Fading Green: Brazil's President Sees New Growth in the Rain Forest; Dismayed Environmentalists Find Former Ally Aiming Many Projects at Jungle; Pipeline and Dam in Amazon
By Matt Moffett
Manaus, Brazil -- When Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva became Brazil's first elected leftist president in January, environmentalists cheered. They regarded the co-founder of the Workers Party as progressive and "green" in his politics....
To the dismay of environmentalists, however, Mr. da Silva ... wants to pump billions of dollars into highways, railroads, airports, waterways and other projects that could change the face of the rain forest. He's even taking a second look at a long-stalled project to build one of the world's largest dams in the Amazon ....
[On the other hand:]
Latin America's Season of Discontent: Bolivia's Chaos Reflects Larger Anger at US Policy And IMF's Prescriptions
By David Luhnow, José de Córdoba and Marc Lifsher
Mayhem in the streets of several Latin American cities, including a virtual siege of Bolivia's pro-US president by angry protesters, shows that the region's disaffected are increasingly making their voices heard. Like the so-called Arab street in the Middle East, public protest in this impoverished region is growing more violent and anti-American, and is starting to limit policy choices for regional leaders....
A weak economy, thanks in part to the recent US slowdown, accounts for some of the simmering anger.... But the discontent goes beyond anemic growth. Many in the region feel that two decades of economic liberalization have done little to alleviate poverty, and they have little trust in their leaders to carry out reforms without lining their own pockets.... Meanwhile, the US message of free trade is interpreted in Latin American street as cover for a ripoff of the region's riches....
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Carl
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