It is true that in South America, there are numerous ideological currents that present diverse positions on the nature of the nation-state.
However, the first major classification that should be made regarding ideologies is to divide them between those that oppose the established system and those that endorse the prevailing system—in other words, between revolutionary ideologies that oppose colonialism and underdevelopment, and those that embrace global Western imperialism and liberal principles.
Political ideologies are mutable and respond to specific contexts and realities. Hence, they can be revolutionary or utilitarian to justify an order.
We know that since the 19th and 20th centuries, our America has suffered intense ideological siege from the United States in order to promote its interests in the region: from the Monroe Doctrine (embraced by oligarchic elites), to the feverish propaganda of anti-communism (used to label all patriotic popular sectors under one banner, establishing pro-Yankee dictatorships), promoting neoliberalism in academia (as in the case of the Chicago Boys in Chile), and even through the promotion of Pentecostal, Protestant churches, and similar congregations among the popular sectors of many countries.
Following this trend, today we see the spread—via social media, mass media and universities—of libertarian, anti-state ideologies from the Chicago, Austrian, and other schools, which promote the minimization of national states. They argue that the market should be self-regulated by private initiative, which supposedly leads to development, freedom, and prosperity.
However, we know that these absurdities are nothing more than tricks to expand foreign commercial monopolies, local oligopolies, and weaken the public sovereignties of the peoples of the Americas. These libertarian ideologies have skillfully used populist methodologies to uphold demagogic narratives that can deceive the masses, addressing issues like security or proclaiming “anti-political” discourses—against “the castes” and similar ideas.
It is the duty of patriotic sectors to engage in political struggle by all means—vertically (contesting government positions) and horizontally (spreading cultural resistance on all fronts)—with a clear understanding of their particular realities.
In countries like those in South America, strengthening national states is imperative. These states must adopt nationalist, sovereign, and popular policies, meaning those backed by the people’s mandate.
Therefore, states must apply radical pragmatism, avoiding romantic idealisms and instead using methodologies that genuinely solve major needs while strengthening nations. That is where a national and popular ideology could take root.
