JOURNALfor the STUDYof ANTISEMITISM

142 JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF ANTISEMITISM [ VOL. 3:141
Hizbollah and the 2009 Israel-Hamas wars, when virulent antisemitic hostility,
disguised as “anti-Zionism,” reached its peak.
This context is providing an appealing opportunity for the radical Iranian
regime in its search for new allies that could help to combat its
isolation.
“21ST-CENTURY SOCIALISM”—OR ANTISEMITISM?
Most of the Latin American groups active at the forums find their
political reference in the ALBA (Bolivian Alternative for the Americas) 1
bloc, led by Venezuela’s Húgo Chávez and joined by Evo Morales
(Bolivia), Rafael Correa (Ecuador), Daniel Ortega (Nicaragua), and Fidel
and Raul Castro (Cuba). This bloc is also the main partner for the growing
Iranian penetration in Latin America.
It is interesting that all of these leaders have reached power by building
their legitimacy from outside the traditional political systems and/or in
connection to institutional crisis in their countries: Chávez is an army colonel
whose first attempt to get to the presidency was a failed coup d’etat;
Morales was a leader of indigenous peasants working at coca plantations;
Correa is the first stable Ecuadorian president in years; Ortega and the Castro
brothers were leaders of armed revolutions, although Ortega later ran for
and won free elections. All of them have also provided a warm reception to
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and have established diverse
cooperation initiatives.
In the case of Bolivia, beyond the common interests regarding energy
resources, Iran has also financed humanitarian projects. A new hospital,
named “Islamic Republic of Iran—The Red Crescent Society,” was inaugurated
by presidents Morales and Ahmadinejad in November 2009. The hospital
provides health services for over 800,000 people of El Alto, a modest
neighborhood, 40 minutes away from the capital city, La Paz, and home to
a wide constituency of President Morales. 2 But beyond Iran’s generosity, a
controversy arose with the suggestion that nurses and other female staff
wear a veil while on duty. 3
1. The acronym ALBA was created by Húgo Chávez as a counter to the ALCA
(Área de Libre Comercio de las Américas—FTAA, the U.S. initiative for a Free
Trade Agreement of the Americas). In Spanish, the word “alba” means “dawn,” so
the bloc’s name is intended to proclaim a “new era” for Latin America.
2. “Se afianzan los vínculos con Irán,” La Nación, December 6, 2009, http://
www.lanacion.com.ar/1208421-se-afianzan-los-vinculos-con-iran.
3. “Velo islámico en Bolivia,” http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/america_latina/
2009/11/091126_2328_bolivia_islam_gm.shtml.