Social Movements and State Power

The 2003 electoral victory of Lucio Gutiérrez in Ecuador was met with the same sense of optimism that greeted the election of Ignacio ''Lula'' da Silva in Brazil, and Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. Gutierrez''s victory was viewed as a major advance for the country in its 500 year-long struggle for freedom and democracy.

In Bolivia, Evo Morales similarly came within an electoral whisker of achieving sta...