>I myself once was excessively positive toward
> the Velasco government of Peru (until I studied it a bit).
Jim, I'd be very curious to hear your take on Velasco (he is of course vilified by the right in Peru). My understanding is that he introduced urgently-needed agricultural reform -- he broke up the huge, quasi feudal latifundia -- but the way he did so was less than successful; rather than returning the land to the workers and campesinos themselves, he replaced the former management with state-run bureaucracies, and the latter didn't didn't perform well at all.
The issue is all the more germane given that Evo is planning agricultural reform in Bolivia Real Soon Now. I hope does a better job of it than Velasco.
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Colin Brace
Amsterdam