Che Part 2

Che Part 2 was similar to Part 1. Part I showed the guerilla movement in Cuba, and Part 2 was about Bolivia. I am reading a book about Che so I know a bit more now than I did when I saw Part 2. In 1965 Che disguised himself and ended up in the Congo by way of Moscow. Part 2 starts with Che in disguise, only after the Congo misadventure, and at the beginning of his Bolivian adventure. Che wrote a diary of his Bolivia experience and Part 2 is very close to the diary itself.

Problems Che had in Bolivia: 1) the Bolivian Communist Party didnt support the guerilla movement, thinking that it would only end in bitter reprisals from the dictatorship 2) the Guerillas were not supported by the local peasants, the peasants were afraid of reprisals from the dictatorship 3) Bolivian army received training from US Army Rangers, and the CIA 4) unlike Cuba or even Congo, the CIA knew Che was behind the Bolivian guerilla movement, and were one step ahead of him in tactics.

The end of Part 2 was described as "depressing" from my colleague Dan, who met me at the theater. Dan is one of the few people who actually meets me to see movies in Pittsburgh - he is a true colleague. "Depressing?" I guess so. I think Che was right in his analysis of the exploitation of 3rd world countries. So much of the pain and suffering in Africa and latin america is still left over from colonial periods, and post colonial imperialist periods.

Che expected to be killed in action. He knew he was taking on dangerous enemies - not just opposing government armies, but international economic interests (mining and diamonds) and owners of these industries relied on dictatorships to keep the money rolling in. In Africa he knew he was up against racist South Africa and Rhodesia.

Today there are democratic mass movements of national socialism in Venezuela and Ecuador and I think Che would be pleased with this result. The elected socialist governments of Latin America have many enemies, with the US at the top of the list. I fail to see how a socialist Venezuela is a threat to US security. It is a threat to US capitalist interest I guess. Then again, I failed to see how Iraq was a threat to our national security.

The fear by the US government of Che and his movements was part of the Domino Theory of the 1960's, that one by one the spread of communism would occur and disrupt the peace of nuclear coexistence. Even Russia wanted Che to go slow - the Russian communists were afraid of provoking the west into global war. The Chinese seemed more supportive of Che's movements.

The movie didnt go into the trials and executions that took place after the cuban revolution, and over which Che presided. Most books i have browsed so far seem very critical of Che, criticizing what the authors perceive as bloodthirsty part of Che's personality, at odds with his profession of medicine, or the affection he showed to his wives and children. I want to find a book that isnt biased to begin with.

I really liked this movie, I think i liked Part 2 better than Part 1, because it showed Che for what he was: a global revolutionary, misunderstood by just about everyone except his close comrades from the cuban revolution.