Global Left's Dilemmas: Terminal Crisis, Impasse, or Radicalization?

The global left is grappling with a profound crisis, facing a terminal decline, impasse, or radicalization, as evidenced by a significant regional shift to the right across Latin America and Europe. This trend is exemplified by countries like Colombia, Honduras, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru moving away from progressive governments, alongside the pragmatic approach of figures such as Brazil's Lula da Silva, who seeks a fourth presidential term.

Adding to the left's challenges are the ideological contortions of leaders like Mexico's Claudia Sheinbaum navigating complex relationships with figures like Donald Trump, and the recent political and personal tribulations of Spain's Pedro Sánchez. His wife faces a judicial investigation, and a former close aide has been convicted, creating significant difficulties for his administration.

Many intellectuals and politicians on the left perceive a substantial retraction, if not a decomposition, of their once-dominant political paradigm. The progressive movement struggles to articulate convincing responses to escalating geopolitical conflicts, such as Russia's threat to Europe and the volatile situation in the Middle East. It also faces difficulties in countering the rise of xenophobia and intolerance surrounding immigration, particularly in developed nations where such forces are gaining traction among working-class populations that traditionally supported progressive parties.

Technological advancements, especially the advent of artificial intelligence, present new interrogations and exacerbate existing tensions. These include the crisis of welfare states, rising inequality, the deindustrialization of mature democracies, the growing problem of citizen insecurity, and recent pressures stemming from increased living costs and diminished purchasing power. The article poses the question of whether this current decline is analogous to the early 1990s, when the fall of the USSR ushered in an era dominated by pro-market ideas, even among Western progressive forces.

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The only left that works in the world is Messi's.