Ruben Ygua

The Ambitious Giant and His Banana Cousins Ruben Ygua

I have often wondered why Latin America has lagged so far behind the United States. Haven't Latin Americans produced brilliant minds, as have their northern relatives?There are those who suggest that it would be the fault of the Catholic Church, which is monopolizing and has always instilled the concept that wealth is something negative, anti-Christian... which is ironic if we look at the example given historically by the popes. We must recognize that in this sense there is a clear difference with the United States, where the different Protestant currents not only allowed the search for personal wealth, but also encouraged it. But would that be enough?If we think of wars as a cause, both the north and the continental south have suffered numerous conflicts, although it is necessary to observe that, while many Latin American revolutions and wars served the personal interests of warlords and dictators, with a few exceptions, in North America wars sought to solve problems of a national character, leaving aside small, petty interests of some ambitious leader. The United States opened itself to the Industrial Revolution from the beginning, while its southern cousins bled to death in useless revolutions... although this is not completely true, if we look at Paraguay, a development aborted by European interests. Perhaps there is a detail that we tend to put aside. The same powers that overthrew Paraguay tried to interrupt the growth of the United States, but did not succeed and Uncle Sam rose firmly, preserving his independence. In short, we can suggest a hundred theories, and the debate would be infinitely prolonged, without reaching any conclusion... something very Latin, by the way. So, let's be practical. I have prepared this chronology, which allows us to know in detail the history of the continent, without manipulating facts or figures. Simply read and compare, it is the best way to arrive at results close to reality; you will see that in the end, those from the north and their cousins from the south are not so different, as the preconceptions of many historians claim. Latinos have always considered the North as an AMBITIOUS GIANT, while they consider us inhabitants of BANANA REPUBLICS. Well, we are going to use those names without fear or shame, maybe in that way we will get closer to the truth.