04-01-2017, 10:52 PM
*** 2-Apr-17 World View -- Paraguay wracked by worst violent riots in decades over constitutional crisis
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Paraguay wracked by worst violent riots in decades over constitutional crisis
****
![[Image: g170401b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g170401b.jpg)
Protesters setting fire to Paraguay's National Congress building in Asunción on Friday night (Reuters)
One person was killed and dozens injured on Friday night in Paraguay's
capital city Asunción during the most massive and most violent
anti-government protests since democracy was restored in 1992. The
protesters chanted "Dictatorship never again!", in opposition to a
proposed constitutional amendment that would permit President Horacio
Manuel Cartes to run for a second five-year term in 2018.
Protesters also set fire to the National Congress building, which
burned for over two hours, as the rioting carried on long into the
night. Two hundred people were arrested.
The protesters were reacting to the memory of the vicious, bloody
35-year dictatorship of General Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda, who had
governed Paraguay from 1954 to 1989. He was thrown out of office in a
coup, after which a constitution guaranteeing democracy was
implemented. The constitution stated that the president would have
one five-year term, and could not be reelected.
On Friday, by a secret vote, Paraguay's Senate (upper house) approved
a constitutional amendment allowing the re-election of a president to
a second term, triggering the violent riots on Friday evening.
For the constitutional amendment to pass, it must also be approved by
the Chamber of Deputies (lower house), where 44 of the 80 members
belong to Cartes's right-wing governing Colorado party. When the vote
is taken, the amendment is expected to be approved easily. It's
thought that the rioters set the National Congress building on fire to
prevent the vote from being taken.
The constitution amendment is opposed by Senate President Roberto
Acevedo of the opposition left-wing Authentic Radical Liberal Party.
It's feared that if the amendment is passed, then rioting will be
renewed. The dead protester was Rodrigo Quintana, a member of the
Authentic Radical Liberal Party.
On Saturday evening, President Horacio Cartes fired Paraguay’s
interior minister and top police officials in the hope of avoiding
more rioting. The vote in the lower house has been postponed.
Reuters and Straits Times (Singapore) and Washington Post
****
**** Brief generational history of Paraguay
****
The Spaniards arrived in 1537, and Paraguay became part of the Spanish
empire during the conquests of the mid-1500s. Spain's South American
empire continued relatively peacefully until the early 1800s, when a
major event occurred.
The French Revolution had occurred in the 1790s, and by the early
1800s, Emperor Napoleon of France was proceeding with a series of
conquests with the intention of forming an early "European Union,"
with Napoleon at its head. One of the conquests of his French army
was the invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in 1807-08, usurping the
Spanish crown. This created a domino effect in Latin America, where
one country after another declared independence from Spain, and the
Spanish empire essentially disintegrated by 1825. Paraguay achieved
independence in 1811.
Paraguay's next generational crisis war was the War of the Triple
Alliance, 1865-70, which Paraguay fought against Brazil, Argentina and
Uruguay. This war was devastating. In the five years of war, as many
as 300,000 people, over half of the population, were killed.
Both of these generational crisis wars, the war for independence and
the War of the Triple Alliance, are still well-remembered in Paraguay
today, and stand as a symbol of the country's unity against foreign
invaders.
The Chaco War, 1932-35, was the next generational crisis war, once
again fought against another country. The Chaco War, was fought
against Bolivia, resulting in the deaths of about 100,000 men.
Alfredo Stroessner was of German ancestry, with a father from Bavaria
and a mother from a wealthy Paraguayan family. As a soldier, he
fought bravely in the Chaco War, and he was promoted several times
during the next decade. In the generational Recovery era that
followed, the Chaco War, he proved to be an able politician in the
power struggles that occurred, including a brief civil war in 1947.
In 1954, General Stroessner became a dictator through a coup. This
was the beginning of the country's generational Awakening era. I've
described many times how a country's leader during this period can
become extremely violent or even genocidal, as we're seeing today
during the Awakening eras of Syria and South Sudan. These leaders use
as an excuse that they have to use violence to prevent a new crisis
war from breaking out, although that's impossible anyway during an
Awakening era. Stroessner's 35-year rule was particularly vicious and
bloody, as we described above.
Stroessner was overthrown in a coup in 1989, and in 1992 a
constitution was installed that promised a democracy -- including the
provision that no one could be president for more than one five-year
term. The current president, Horacio Cartes, is trying to amend the
constitution to run again, as described above, and this has triggered
the most rioting and violence since 1992.
Many people are concerned that this might trigger a civil war between
different groups within Paraguay, but this seems unlikely, since the
last three generational crisis wars were all fought with an external
enemy.
There is a great deal of race awareness in Paraguay. In decreasing
order, from those considered the most élite to those considered least
élite, historically they are as follows:
In recent decades, there have been additional populations of Japanese,
Korean, Lebanese and ethnic Chinese immigrants that have formed small
communities. Another distinct subgroup are the "brasiguayos,"
second-generation Brazilians that were born and raised in Paraguay.
Although there are distinct class differences among the groups listed
above, there is no history of a war along a fault line separating
them.
Since Paraguay is in a generational Crisis era, it may be close to
another war, but I would not expect it to be a civil war, and I would
not expect the current rioting to spiral into a larger war, unless
another country got involved. Paraguay's crisis wars have all been
fought against external enemies, and I would expect its next crisis
war to be the same. Country Studies - Paraguay and History World - Paraguay and Every Culture - Paraguay
Related Articles
****
**** Paraguay's National Congress building was built with funding from Taiwan
****
An interesting sidebar to this story was that Paraguay's National
Congress building was built using a $20 million donation from Taiwan.
This is the building where protesters ransacked and set fire on Friday
night.
Paraguay is the only country in South America that recognizes Taiwan.
China does will not have diplomatic relations with any nation that has
diplomatic relations with Taiwan. So China and Taiwan compete with
each other to have diplomatic relations with each country, and very
often there's a great deal of money involved in that competition.
China Post (Taiwan)
Related Articles
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Paraguay, Asunción, Horacio Manuel Cartes,
Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda, Colorado party
Roberto Acevedo, Rodrigo Quintana, Authentic Radical Liberal Party,
French Revolution, Napoleon,
War of the Triple Alliance, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay,
Chaco War, Bolivia, Peninsulares, Creoles, Mestizos, Guaranis,
Brasiguayos, Taiwan, China
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Paraguay wracked by worst violent riots in decades over constitutional crisis
- Brief generational history of Paraguay
- Paraguay's National Congress building was built with funding from Taiwan
****
**** Paraguay wracked by worst violent riots in decades over constitutional crisis
****
Protesters setting fire to Paraguay's National Congress building in Asunción on Friday night (Reuters)
One person was killed and dozens injured on Friday night in Paraguay's
capital city Asunción during the most massive and most violent
anti-government protests since democracy was restored in 1992. The
protesters chanted "Dictatorship never again!", in opposition to a
proposed constitutional amendment that would permit President Horacio
Manuel Cartes to run for a second five-year term in 2018.
Protesters also set fire to the National Congress building, which
burned for over two hours, as the rioting carried on long into the
night. Two hundred people were arrested.
The protesters were reacting to the memory of the vicious, bloody
35-year dictatorship of General Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda, who had
governed Paraguay from 1954 to 1989. He was thrown out of office in a
coup, after which a constitution guaranteeing democracy was
implemented. The constitution stated that the president would have
one five-year term, and could not be reelected.
On Friday, by a secret vote, Paraguay's Senate (upper house) approved
a constitutional amendment allowing the re-election of a president to
a second term, triggering the violent riots on Friday evening.
For the constitutional amendment to pass, it must also be approved by
the Chamber of Deputies (lower house), where 44 of the 80 members
belong to Cartes's right-wing governing Colorado party. When the vote
is taken, the amendment is expected to be approved easily. It's
thought that the rioters set the National Congress building on fire to
prevent the vote from being taken.
The constitution amendment is opposed by Senate President Roberto
Acevedo of the opposition left-wing Authentic Radical Liberal Party.
It's feared that if the amendment is passed, then rioting will be
renewed. The dead protester was Rodrigo Quintana, a member of the
Authentic Radical Liberal Party.
On Saturday evening, President Horacio Cartes fired Paraguay’s
interior minister and top police officials in the hope of avoiding
more rioting. The vote in the lower house has been postponed.
Reuters and Straits Times (Singapore) and Washington Post
****
**** Brief generational history of Paraguay
****
The Spaniards arrived in 1537, and Paraguay became part of the Spanish
empire during the conquests of the mid-1500s. Spain's South American
empire continued relatively peacefully until the early 1800s, when a
major event occurred.
The French Revolution had occurred in the 1790s, and by the early
1800s, Emperor Napoleon of France was proceeding with a series of
conquests with the intention of forming an early "European Union,"
with Napoleon at its head. One of the conquests of his French army
was the invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in 1807-08, usurping the
Spanish crown. This created a domino effect in Latin America, where
one country after another declared independence from Spain, and the
Spanish empire essentially disintegrated by 1825. Paraguay achieved
independence in 1811.
Paraguay's next generational crisis war was the War of the Triple
Alliance, 1865-70, which Paraguay fought against Brazil, Argentina and
Uruguay. This war was devastating. In the five years of war, as many
as 300,000 people, over half of the population, were killed.
Both of these generational crisis wars, the war for independence and
the War of the Triple Alliance, are still well-remembered in Paraguay
today, and stand as a symbol of the country's unity against foreign
invaders.
The Chaco War, 1932-35, was the next generational crisis war, once
again fought against another country. The Chaco War, was fought
against Bolivia, resulting in the deaths of about 100,000 men.
Alfredo Stroessner was of German ancestry, with a father from Bavaria
and a mother from a wealthy Paraguayan family. As a soldier, he
fought bravely in the Chaco War, and he was promoted several times
during the next decade. In the generational Recovery era that
followed, the Chaco War, he proved to be an able politician in the
power struggles that occurred, including a brief civil war in 1947.
In 1954, General Stroessner became a dictator through a coup. This
was the beginning of the country's generational Awakening era. I've
described many times how a country's leader during this period can
become extremely violent or even genocidal, as we're seeing today
during the Awakening eras of Syria and South Sudan. These leaders use
as an excuse that they have to use violence to prevent a new crisis
war from breaking out, although that's impossible anyway during an
Awakening era. Stroessner's 35-year rule was particularly vicious and
bloody, as we described above.
Stroessner was overthrown in a coup in 1989, and in 1992 a
constitution was installed that promised a democracy -- including the
provision that no one could be president for more than one five-year
term. The current president, Horacio Cartes, is trying to amend the
constitution to run again, as described above, and this has triggered
the most rioting and violence since 1992.
Many people are concerned that this might trigger a civil war between
different groups within Paraguay, but this seems unlikely, since the
last three generational crisis wars were all fought with an external
enemy.
There is a great deal of race awareness in Paraguay. In decreasing
order, from those considered the most élite to those considered least
élite, historically they are as follows:
- Peninsulares - Spaniards born on the Iberian Peninsula
- Creoles - pure blood descendants of the Peninsulares, but born in
Paraguay
- Mestizos - mixed race descendants of marriages between Spaniards
and Indians
- Guaranis - Indians or Amerindians - Indigenous Indian tribes
- African-Americans or noirs
In recent decades, there have been additional populations of Japanese,
Korean, Lebanese and ethnic Chinese immigrants that have formed small
communities. Another distinct subgroup are the "brasiguayos,"
second-generation Brazilians that were born and raised in Paraguay.
Although there are distinct class differences among the groups listed
above, there is no history of a war along a fault line separating
them.
Since Paraguay is in a generational Crisis era, it may be close to
another war, but I would not expect it to be a civil war, and I would
not expect the current rioting to spiral into a larger war, unless
another country got involved. Paraguay's crisis wars have all been
fought against external enemies, and I would expect its next crisis
war to be the same. Country Studies - Paraguay and History World - Paraguay and Every Culture - Paraguay
Related Articles
- Pope Francis in Paraguay alludes to 1860s War of the Triple Alliance (12-Jul-2015)
- South Sudan increasingly parallels Syria in genocidal violence (24-Dec-2016)
****
**** Paraguay's National Congress building was built with funding from Taiwan
****
An interesting sidebar to this story was that Paraguay's National
Congress building was built using a $20 million donation from Taiwan.
This is the building where protesters ransacked and set fire on Friday
night.
Paraguay is the only country in South America that recognizes Taiwan.
China does will not have diplomatic relations with any nation that has
diplomatic relations with Taiwan. So China and Taiwan compete with
each other to have diplomatic relations with each country, and very
often there's a great deal of money involved in that competition.
China Post (Taiwan)
Related Articles
- Following the money, Sao Tome and Principe switches allegiance from Taiwan to China (28-Dec-2016)
- China demands new Taiwan leader explicitly affirm that Taiwan is part of China (26-May-2016)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Paraguay, Asunción, Horacio Manuel Cartes,
Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda, Colorado party
Roberto Acevedo, Rodrigo Quintana, Authentic Radical Liberal Party,
French Revolution, Napoleon,
War of the Triple Alliance, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay,
Chaco War, Bolivia, Peninsulares, Creoles, Mestizos, Guaranis,
Brasiguayos, Taiwan, China
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
