As Brazil was returning to democracy in the mid-80s, there were three types of groups who were involved in the process: those associated with the Church, the trade unions, and the Marxist groups. A new constitution was drawn up in 1988, but it was not put into law. The candidate of the Workers' Party (Lula) was almost elected in '89, the first free election. In the 90's the process was reversed. Representation in the voting process was deformed, so that a vote in Roraima (very small state) was 28 times more powerful than one in the large states like Sao Paulo. Because many congress people, governors, and mayors were elected from the left (Workers Party), many left activists became tied up in the government bureaucracy. Only the MST managed to escape this process of bureaucratization.

Land, the financial system, and the media are very concentrated in Brazil. 80% of Brazilians now live in cities and 40% are in the two big cities: Rio and Sao Paulo. Urbanization has caused Brazil's birth rate to drop.

Consulta Popular is trying to resist bureaucratization by building an activist network that is horizontal, not vertical. The foundation is in practice and based on a renewal of values and thinking. Consulta has begun a movement to contact the poor classes in Brazil via fact sheets and videos. They held a vote (preceded by months of debate and education) on whether Brazil should pay its external debt, and got a 6% turnout. They are currently preparing a popular vote on whether Brazil should be part of the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA).

They are concerned about the presence of the U.S. military in Amazonia. "Plan Colombia" is the way for the U.S. to get a foothold in that region -- it's an opening to the Amazon. The Amazon region is growing in strategic importance as the world soon must end its dependence on oil, and will need the biodiversity and biomass and fresh water that is available in the Amazon region.

In Argentina, the economic situation is worse than in Brazil (although Brazil's social situation is worse). Argentina must choose between two roads: either associating itself with the U.S. or joining Brazil in the independent MERCOSUL bloc. Latin America as a whole is facing an identity crisis.