国际形势和中国外交蓝皮书(2021/2022)英文版

　　《国际形势和中国外交蓝皮书（2021/2022）英文版》：　　In 2021, Peru's leftists regained power, consolidating the regional wave of left turn. In 2019, the center left won the presidential election in Argentina. In 2020, Bolivians elected their leftist president. These three electoral victories helped the left gain momentum across the region, On July 19, 2021, the National Jury of Elections of Peru declared the leftist party candidate Jose Pedro Castillo Terrones the next president. An erstwhile obscure rural teacher, Terrones nevertheless defeated the right-wing presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, which was a clear proof of widespread demand for changing the status quo. Keenly aware that the pandemic had not only taken a heavy toll on the economy but also splintered the society, the leftists came up with a winning strategy that catered to the interests of the lower and middle class.　　The impressive performance of Chile's leftists at the Constitutional Convention provided fresh impetus for this wave of left turn. During the election of the Constitutional Convention in May 2021, the ruling center-right suffered a crushing defeat, failing to secure a critical one-third of seats in the body that would draft the new constitution. In stark contrast, the left and independent candidates won more than 50% of the seats, achieving a resounding success. The leftists also boasted impressive performance in local elections, with some prominent figures elected or re-elected as mayors by a considerable margin in major cities or districts. These successes in critical elections indicated that an economic model with heavy reliance on the power of the market was not the silver bullet. Far from being an eternal engine for economic growth, such a model instead perpetuated social and political polarization. Therefore, tougher stance on corruption, government intervention in economic and social development, and reforms to narrow social divide became a general consensus in Chile. Adriana Mufioz, president of the center-left Party for Democracy （PPD）, told the media that the election results represented the victory of pro-reform forces in Chile. In December 2021, Gabriel Boric, a symbol of Chile's emerging political forces and a candidate for the left-wing Approve Dignity coalition, won the presidential election. This significant change in the balance of power in Chilean politics would have a spillover effect on the regional political landscape.　　In 2021, Cuba and Venezuela, widely viewed as leaders of left-wing politics, took multiple measures to successfully cope with the pandemic and U.S. pressure. As a result, the political landscape in LAC was still dominated by left parties. There is no denying that mass protests-including those in Havana-that had been unseen for years were provoked by COVID-induced economic crisis and increasing hardship. But the critical trigger was U.S. incitement of political dissidents. Nevertheless, from the very beginning, the Cuban leadership was clear-eyed about the nature of these protests and took proper measures to maintain stability and to foil U.S. attempts to instigate a 6'color revolution". In the same vein, Venezuela's Maduro administration made all-out efforts to cope with U.S. unilateral sanctions, tackled the dual challenges of pandemic response and economic recovery, and tried its best to improve public wellbeing. Meanwhile, through the good offices of Norway and Mexico, the government and opposition parties reopened dialogue and achieved a preliminary agreement after three rounds of negotiations. Though the negotiation process was disrupted by external interferences, the situation in Venezuela increasingly stabilized an indication that it was never an easy task for the United States and its allies to undermine the foundations of the left by mobilizing their opponents.　　The "pendulum effect" in Latin America politics clearly shows that neither side could score a final victory in one battle. The fundamental reason is that both the right and the left can garner popular support for their respective policies. The former advocated market-based allocation of resources to promote competition and economic development. The latter called on the government to play a bigger role in economic and social development in order to better protect the middle class and grassroots. Whenever the rightist market-based policies failed, the public would view the leftist government intervention more favorably. Whenever the leftist nationalization and welfare state became dysfunctional, the public would long for flexibility and freedom of the market. Thus, the left and the right have been alternating in power. Of course, sometimes one side adopted policies of the other side, leading to a temporary convergence to the center. Yet fundamental differences between the two sides remain unchanged. It is worth noting, however, that the pendulum is swinging at a faster pace, suggesting that the pandemic has had profound economic and societal impact, which in turn resulted in significant reshuffling of political forces.　　……