THE PROPOSAL OF THE BOLIVARIAN ALLIANCE OF FOR THE

PEOPLE OF FOUR AMERICA

(ALBA)

THIS PROPOSAL PROPOSED BY THE BOLIVIAN REPUBLIC OF

VENEZUELA
I. DEFINITION AND BACKGROUND

Before we understanding deeply about ALBA its good first we known the definition and
background regarding ALBA, Quoted from The New York Times, ALBA or commonly
known as The Bolivarian Alliance of for the people of our America is one of
intergovernmental organization that based and focused on social, political, economic
integration of the countries of Latin America and also the Caribbean. This agreement was
offered by the government of Venezuela .1 This “Bolivarian” name is reference to Simon
Bolivar ideology that was a leader of independence of South America during in 19 century.
This NGO was founded initially by Cuba and Venezuela that both those country are adhere to
communist or socialist ideology. This Cuba- Venezuela agreement was signed on 14
December by two leadership namely President Hugo Chavez from Venezuela and Fidel
Castro from Cuba. This agreement associated with socialist and also democratic government
that have purposed to consolidate regional economic integration that based on a vision of
social welfare, bartering and mutual economic aid.2 The origin background of the form of
ALBA was background by the economic crisis that emerged in 1980. In 1980 at least 70
percent of the Third World was forced to accept IMF and World Bank structural adjustment
programs requiring privatization, deregulation and also trade liberalization .3

Entering the 1990s, this program encouraged Latin America further into debt and reduced the
progress social on indicator for the vast majority of low and middle – income countries. In
the late of 1990s, a number of advance capitalist government, led by the USA, sought to help
their corporation gain greater access to Third World markets. They wanted to persuade the
Third World Government to minimize their state regulations on foreign trade and also
investment. The mistake or failure of Neo-Liberalism led Latin American countries to
looking for an alternative. The recent electoral victories for leftist parties in a number of Latin
American Countries, along with the arrival of socialist change mechanism, can be attributed

1
Arana, M. (2013, April 27). Opinon - Bolivar, Latin America's Go to Hero. Retrieved from The New York
Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/opinion/arana-latin-americas-go-to-hero.html
2
Guimaraes, L. N. (2020). The Regulation and Policy of Latin American Energy Trantitions First Edition.
USA: Elsevier Science Publisher.
3
Vassalo, J. (2010). The Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas : The Destabilizing Impact on Latin America.
International Studies Master Journal. Retrivied from :
https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=intlstudies_masters

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to the failure of neo-liberalism. Entering 2001, a number of Latin American countries banded
together to block FTAA, under the leadership of Hugo Chavez and formed ALBA in 2004. 4

II. COUNTRY MEMBERSHIP

Quoted from ALBA-TPC, ALBA (The Bolivarian Alliance of for the people of our America)
have ten member country’s namely Antigua, Barbuda, Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada,
Nicaragua, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, the Grenadines and Venezuela. But
on February 2012 submit one more country was admitted to ALBA as a guest country namely
Suriname. ALBA nations may doing a trade using a virtual regional currency or commonly
known as the SUCRE .5

Pictured 1. Retrivied from : https://albainfo.org/what-is-the-alba/

4
Excalantae, E. E. (2008). Fighting for Freedom in Rural Peru : ALBA Houses Threaten Democracy. The
Heritage Foundatdation .
5
ALBA-TPC. (2014, December 14). Declaration of ALBA-TCP XII Summit and Commemorations of its Ten
Aniversarry. Retrieved from ALBA-TPC: http://alba-tcp.org/en/contenido/declaration-alba-tcp-xiii-
summit-and-commemoration-its-tenth-anniversary-december-14-2014

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 Pictured 2 . Retrivied from : https://www.polgeonow.com/2015/02/map-alba-has-2-new-member-countries.html

III. THOUGHT

Quoted from Ignacio Ramonet book entitled Hugo Chavez mi primera vida : Conversaciones
con Hugo Chavez (2014), at least there are three thought of ALBA namely Conflict, 21
Century Revolutions and International Revolutions : 6

1. Conflict :
ALBA effort to institutionalize radical conflict both internal and external. Its member
countries were believe is compulsory to rebuild “Gran Columbia”. Based by former
president of Bolivia Congress of the Forum of the ALBA Social Movement, Fernando
Bossi the alliance is the next phase of the “ ancient and and permanent confrontment
among the Latin American and also Caribbean people and imperialism. According with
this new phase, every countries are bound to choose flank among the ALBA and Socialism

6
Ramonet, I. (2014). Hugo Chavez mi primera vida : Conversaciones con Hugo Chavez . Vintage Espanol.

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 or with United State of America (USA) with its free market capitalism. This conflict also
has seen such as police protest in Equador. Internationaly, it is conflict among the
neighbor like Equador and Venezuela. 7

2. 21 Century Socialism.
Overall, the economic model that adhere by all ALBA member country’s based by
communism or socialism Trotsky version that outlined by Heinz Dieterich. Heinz Diterich
commonly famously known as a Germany sociologist residing in Mexico. He is famously
known for his leftist ideals. He’s also famously contributets to several journals and also
has published more than 30 books regarding the conflict in Latin America or South
America. This economic model also includes “participatory and protagonist democary”
which implicate the elimination of representative democracy and also its institutional and
civil rights based approach to governance in favor of local participation that related to a
robust caudilo excecutive. In Venezuela this is conducted through the society power which
form commune precisely on local level that report directly to president Hugo Chaves. 8

3. International Revolutions.
Overall, ALBA is an regional infrastructure that designed to support radical revolutionary
processes within member countries. Bosi state that ALBA is one of the chapter of global
revolution. From that statement certainly has brought ALBA member countries in to some
coorperation with other revolutionaries world over. The principal of these being Iran but
also including Hezbollah, Fuerzas Armada Revolucionarias Colombianas (FARC), the
Spanish Basque Terorrist Group (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna) ETA, and also the Columbian
Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN). The intend of this international revolutions is to
created the new world order. That state was launch by President Hugo Chavez. Based by
ALBA (The Bolivarian Alliance of for the people of our America) foreign policy, the
recent institutional order must be brought to its knees in order to allow new multipolar
world to emerge. Important to this the collapse of the USA (United State of America) as
the famous superpower country in overall the world.

7
Ramonet, I. (2014). Hugo Chavez mi primera vida : Conversaciones con Hugo Chavez . Vintage Espanol.

8
Ramonet, I. (2014). Hugo Chavez mi primera vida : Conversaciones con Hugo Chavez . Vintage Espanol.

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IV. OBJECTIVE

Quoted from Tabloid Diplomasi entitled ALBA (the Bolivarian Alternative for Latin
Aemrica and the Caribbean) : Kerja sama Kawasan Selatan Melawan Kemiskinan dan
Ekslusi Sosial (2009), the primary objective of ALBA (The Bolivarian Alliance of for the
people of our America) is to build an prosperous Latin America future, destroy and against
abhorrent social inequalities and make this region as the power that unable to run alone
economical model in admit of globalization through several strategy like political, economy
and social-culture that exist in Latin America Region. Alternatively, ALBA opposite from
several fundamental that implement by Bolivarian regime within established national
economy. Within that alternative like (1) intellectual property rights and good food quality
(2) agriculture for society or market (3) refuge liberation, deregulations and public serve
privatization (4) replacement fund to corrected inequality in ALBA. 9

9
Publik, D. D. (2009). Tabloid Diplomasi : ALBA (the Bolivarian Alternative for Latin America and the
Caribbean) : Kerjasama Kawasan Selatan Melawan Kemiskinan dan Eksklusi Sosial. Jakarta:
Kementrian Luar Negeri Republik Indonesia.

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 REFERENCE

ALBA-TPC. (2014, December 14). Declaration of ALBA-TCP XII Summit and

Commemorations of its Ten Aniversarry. Retrieved from ALBA-TPC: http://alba-
tcp.org/en/contenido/declaration-alba-tcp-xiii-summit-and-commemoration-its-tenth-
anniversary-december-14-2014

Arana, M. (2013, April 27). Opinon - Bolivar, Latin America's Go to Hero. Retrieved from
The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/opinion/arana-latin-
americas-go-to-hero.html

Excalantae, E. E. (2008). Fighting for Freedom in Rural Peru : ALBA Houses Threaten
Democracy. The Heritage Foundatdation .

Guimaraes, L. N. (2020). The Regulation and Policy of Latin American Energy Trantitions
First Edition. USA: Elsevier Science Publisher.

Info, A. (2014, December 17). What is ALBA? Retrieved from ALBA Info : Information of
the Bolivarian Alliance: https://albainfo.org/what-is-the-alba/

Now, P. G. (2015, February 12). Map : ALBA Has 2 New Member Country. Retrieved from
Political Geography Now: https://www.polgeonow.com/2015/02/map-alba-has-2-
new-member-countries.html

Publik, D. D. (2009). Tabloid Diplomasi : ALBA (the Bolivarian Alternative for Latin
America and the Caribbean) : Kerjasama Kawasan Selatan Melawan Kemiskinan dan
Eksklusi Sosial. Jakarta: Kementrian Luar Negeri Republik Indonesia.

Ramonet, I. (2014). Hugo Chavez mi primera vida : Conversaciones con Hugo Chavez .
Vintage Espanol.

Vassalo, J. (2010). The Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas : The Destabilizing Impact on
Latin America. International Studies Master Journal. Retrivied from :
https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=intlstudies_mast
ers

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