Latin Flavor

Politics-lite, spurred by Urugauy's elections. Nice overview article that seems to get things mostly correct and not terribly biased.

The New York Times > International > Americas > With New Chief, Uruguay Veers Left, in a Latin Pattern: "From Brazil to Argentina to Ecuador and Venezuela, while demonstrating important differences in style and substance, these new leaders are united in their conviction that the free-market reforms of the 1990's have failed and by a renewed focus on egalitarianism and social welfare, but not to the point where it breaks the bank.
They are sympathetic to the symbols and rhetoric of the left's revolutionary past, cozy with Fidel Castro, and frequently anti-American in their talk, but they continue to pursue economic policies that are favorable to American interests and sensitive to perceptions of Wall Street. None, for instance, would even think of nationalizing foreign-owned companies, as both Mr. Castro and Salvador Allende of Chile once did."