Last month, I wrote about how far-left Peruvian president Pedro Castillo tried to pull off an auto-coup d’etat to remain in office, attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree in the process. Luckily, he was impeached and removed from office within hours of announcing his intentions. His successor, Dina Boluarte, is the first female Peruvian president. She is the sixth president the country has had since 2017, when the current era of Peruvian political paralysis began.
Castillo’s supporters are now rioting in the streets of Lima, demanding his return to the Government Palace. Police are dismantling roadblocks constructed by protesters as the government keeps iconic UNESCO world heritage site and renowned tourist destination Machu Picchu shuttered until further notice. Over 50 people have lost their lives in the turmoil sweeping the country.
Who is to blame for this unrest? Some claim that corruption is the root cause, and the brutal police crackdown, tacitly sanctioned by Boluarte, has only exacerbated the situation. Both of these factors have undoubtedly played a role in fomenting chaos. However, the true source of the crisis is the left-wing populism that has driven demonstrators into the streets.
Peru has long been a place wracked by leftist political violence. The conflict between the government and Shining Path, a Maoist insurgency group, in the ’80s and ’90s was responsible for the deaths of 69,000 people. Now, it appears that some Castillo supporters seem intent on reviving the bad old days. Incited by the politics of resentment, they are telling people that the only way to alleviate their plight is to overthrow the system, threatening Peruvian democracy itself.
The takeaway from all this is clear: Socialism, when weaponized by demagogic agitators to sow resentment, is perhaps the most dangerously violent political force ever conceived. Self-styled economic populists worldwide should take notice and learn to be more judicious with their rhetoric. You never know what consequences it might bring.