The launch of the platformLibertad y Democracia” headed by former President Sebastián Piñera, is another example of the way in which characters and organizations from the conservative and ultra-conservative segments are coming together mainly in Latin America and Europe. The meeting held these days joins the meeting of the International Foundation for Freedom that had as protagonists Vargas Llosa, Aznar and Moro and the assembly of the Conservative Action Political Conference where representatives of Trump and Bolsonaro, José Antonio Kast and Abascal were present. To specify the coordination and articulation plans, they have entities such as the American Conservative Union, the National Rifle Association, the International Foundation for Freedom, Fundación Pensar, the Atlantic Institute of Government, the Gatestone Institute and the Atlas Network, considered the think tanks of the global extreme right. And there is financing that comes from entities such as MasterCard, Phillip Morris, Telefónica, Endesa, Repsol and Exxon Mobil, along with organizations such as the Center for Private Enterprise and Harris Media.
Hugo Guzman. Journalist. “The century”. Santiago. 3/18/2023. A few days ago, in and from the Chilean capital, a meeting was held between former presidents and representatives of the right-wing and the Latin American and European extreme right, where the group “Libertad y Democracia” was presented, headed by former Chilean president Sebastián Piñera.
The meeting had a hybrid format, some in person and others remotely, and was attended, along with various leaders from different parties and countries, by former presidents Mariano Rajoy and José María Aznar (of the Spanish extreme right), Maricio Macri, (an ultra-conservative representative of Argentina ), Andrés Pastrana and Iván Duque (from the Colombian right and extreme right), Jorge Quiroga (from the Bolivian right), Felipe Calderón (Mexican right) and Guillermo Lasso (Ecuadorian right).
That was not, by the way, the first nor the only meeting of leaders, ex-presidents, parties and groups of the right and extreme right that for at least five years have been promoting coordination, articulation, debate and even political training meetings.
In October of last year, in Madrid, the act for the 20th anniversary of the far-right International Foundation for Freedom was held, chaired by the Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, an intellectual linked to the conservative ideology. Among others, the former Spanish president, José María Aznar, the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso (a well-known ultra-conservative spokeswoman), the former Mexican president Felipe Calderón (of the right-wing National Action Party), and Sergio Moro, former Jair Bolsonaro’s Minister of Justice.
In November 2022, in Mexico City, the meeting of the Conservative Action Political Conference (CPAC) was held, which since 1974 has operated as an articulator of far-right sectors. In attendance were Eduardo Verástegui, from the Viva México Movement; Steve Bannon, strategist for former President Donald Trump, accused of instigating the assault on the Capitol; Brazilian legislator Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of the former president; the former president of Poland, Lech Walesa; Jay Aeba, president of the Japanese Conservative Union; José Antonio Kast, former presidential candidate in Chile; Santiago Abascal, leader of the Vox party of Spain; Gergely Gulyás, Minister of the Government of Hungary; the US senator, recognized anti-communist, Ted Cruz, among several others.
Last year the Viva 22 event was held, a festival that the Spanish ultra-conservatives organized in the Espacio Mad Cool de Valdebebas in Madrid, in front of the training ground of the Real Madrid soccer club. The call and organization was in charge of the ultra-right party Vox. Greetings came from the former president of the United States, Donald Trump, from the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, from the head of the Hungarian government, Viktor Orbán, from the leader of the Chilean ultra-right, José Antonio Kast, from the former Colombian president, Álvaro Uribe, indicated as a patron of far-right paramilitary groups, and of the daughter of Jeanine Añez, the Bolivian politician who led the coup once morest former President Evo Morales.
These meetings gave an account of the coordination spaces of the extreme right on a global scale, which include constant tours of its representatives to various countries, organizing talks, seminars and political meetings aimed at gravitating in local and regional processes.
To go to some examples, there was the visit of the leaders of the far-right Republican Party, Rojo Edwards and Cristian Araya, and the meetings of José Antonio Kast with Bolsonaro and his team, and with directives of far-right groups from Spain, Hungary, Germany , Argentina and the United States.
where to aim
In the declarations and documents of the far-right representatives, objectives such as defending freedom, democracy, conservative and Christian values, the environment, solid governments, the neoliberal economy and individual property are claimed.
It also seeks to confront communism and populism, leftist governments, “gender ideology” and feminism, the rights of migrants. Many of the ultra-conservative groups promote neo-fascist, nationalist and racist theses.
Piñera, in the recent meeting of his sector, stated that “today’s topic is to face the great threats to freedom and democracy. It is necessary to group together to defend them”, he said, emphasizing the need for articulation of the right and extreme right segments.
And he aimed at one of the most cherished objectives of conservatives and ultra-conservatives on a global scale: going once morest Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. This includes hostility and work once morest left-wing and progressive governments such as those in Mexico, Bolivia, Honduras, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, among others, although until today they present gaps in positioning towards countries like China. There is, by the way, strong support for Ukraine.
He also plans to get out of the way of the Sao Paulo Forum and the Puebla Group, instances of coordination and conversation of left-wing, progressive and social democratic parties in Latin America.
concrete joint supports
For a couple of years the ultra-right has been promoting an international articulation to promote these ideas, to support governments of that sign (such as the administrations of Donald Trump in the United States, Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, Giorgia Meloni in Italy, Volodímir Zelenski in Ukraine). and fiercely oppose leftist or progressive governments, launching their most powerful darts once morest Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico and Brazil.
To specify the coordination and articulation plans, they have entities such as the American Conservative Union, the National Rifle Association, Human Events, Young America’s Foundation, the Conservative Action Political Conference, the International Freedom Foundation, Pensar Foundation, the Institute Government Atlantic, Foundation for Social Studies and Analysis, The Heritage Foundation, Instituto Gatestone and the Atlas Network, considered the think tanks of the global extreme right. According to a report by Eulixe, Atlas Network “has been linked to supporting campaigns once morest left-wing politicians to support right-wing and far-right alternatives in a variety of countries, such as Mexico, Chile, Bolivia or Colombia, through the use of bots and false accounts for the dissemination of hoaxes and ‘fake news’”.
There are not only endorsements from political organizations or studies. Press reports indicate financial support and support from transnational networks such as MasterCard, Phillip Morris, Telefónica, Endesa, Repsol and Exxon Mobil, together with organizations such as the Center for Private Enterprise and Harris Media. Foundations, study centers, legislative and presidential candidacies and hundreds of media are fed with donations.
The articulation includes mutual support around publications, seminars, training and education schools, communication teams and dissemination strategy, support for electoral campaigns, university development and work with the local and regional press.
In an interview with Proceso, the communicator Julián Macías indicated that the international organizations of the extreme right seek to “influence governments, large companies and investment funds around the world.” He indicated that powerful groups such as the Atlas Network are “behind the communication strategies of ultra-conservative candidates’ electoral campaigns in Latin America and other regions, participate in black campaigns and hate messages once morest their adversaries, using trolls anonymous, farms bots and the use of fake accounts…”.
In an interview with Pie de Página, the philosopher Diana Fuentes, expressed that in these forces there is “a deep conviction that democracy is a danger, and that it is a danger because it is the progressive agenda. There is the key. Actually, when you look at who the summoned are, you realize that this is what they have in common: a profoundly anti-democratic spirit, because they see democracy as a threat to traditional values, among which would be the most traditional records of conservatism: defense of the family, rejection of abortion, for women to decide regarding our motherhood, for the LGBT agenda. Some even go so far as to say that there is a replacement of the religious world by science”.
The leaders of the extreme right and the right are located in former presidents Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro, Mauricio Macri, Viktor Orbán, Felipe Calderón, José María Aznar, Lech Walesa, Álvaro Uribe and Sebastián Piñera; in intellectuals and academics such as Marios Vargas Llosa, Enrique Krauze (Letras Libres magazine), Carmen Iglesias (Royal Academy of History of Spain); businessmen like the Venezuelan magnate Gustavo Cisneros, Antonio Brufau, president of Repsol, the American billionaire Robert Mercer, the Canadian media businessman, Ezra Levant; Political representatives such as Santiago Abascal (Vox of Spain), José Antonio Kast (Republican Party of Chile), Sergio Moro (Bolsonaro’s former Minister of Justice), Marine Le Pen (National Front of France), Giorgia Meloni (Prime Minister of Italy) , Volodimir Zelenski (president of Ukraine), Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel (of the German extreme right).
A solid and articulated international network that seeks to have a decisive influence on internal political and social processes, with a global dimension where coordination between organizations, foundations, political representatives, former leaders, intellectuals and academics is being strengthened.
