Pirates of the Caribbean: Axis of Hope

Tariq Ali, Verso, 224 pages, hardback, £14.99

This is a timely book, given the recent re-election of Hugo Ch‡vez as president of Venezuela. Tariq Ali expresses a widely held view that Ch‡vez, together with Fidel Castro in Cuba and Evo Morales in Bolivia represent an "axis of hope" in Latin America and in global radical circles. Subverting the usual view of pirates as criminals, the author describes them as "marine heroes, the scourge of tyrants and avarice, and the brave asserters of liberty".

The author is not uncritical of any of the leaders, but he believes their opposition to neo-liberalism and their welfare spending constitute a new social democratic example relevant to other countries. Although there is little in the book on trade unionism, it gives a flavour of the new popular movements in Latin America.