Bonsai Trees in the Quarries of Capitalism

Today in El Salvador, the FMLN — formerly a guerrilla liberation movement — is a legitimate political force. In fact, they made huge strides in the 2009 elections. Rather than the more sinister black and red of its guerilla rebellion days, FMLN propaganda comes in a cheerier white and red. And yet, even as they gradually take over the government, I'm struck by the queasy sensation that they're welcome only as long as they don't get too powerful. Democracy in countries that function as the quarries of capitalism reminds me of a bonsai tree: You keep it in the window for others to see, and when it grows too big, you cut it back.

If Salvadoran voters embrace the FMLN, then who does the cutting? It's still the USA. Much as US corporations exert an undue influence over Latin American business, the US government continues to exert its authority over "democracies" south of our border. For example, in El Salvador's 2004 presidential elections, the left-wing FMLN candidate seemed poised to win. The US sent an envoy, Jeb Bush, to El Salvador to feed the rumor that if the FMLN won, the US would expel the two million Salvadorans living in America. The loss of money from these Salvadoran expats sent to their starving relatives back home would be devastating. A TV ad showed a woman opening an envelope from the US and reading a letter from her son: “Sorry, mom, if the FMLN wins, this will be the last money I can send from the USA.” A week later, the right wing and US-friendly ARENA party won big.

You can argue whether American meddling in Latin American politics is justified. Either way, it makes me uncomfortable to think that a nation founded on the principles of liberty and democracy wields such a strong influence south of the border. In recent decades, throughout the developing world, the US has made it clear that if the left-wing candidates win, “relations will suffer.”

I asked Father Jon Sobrino (a leading Jesuit priest and scholar at the University of Central America) about America's influence on Salvadoran politics. He said, “These days, when I hear the word 'democracy,' my bowels move.”

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