In “The Natural Resource Dynamics of Postneoliberalism in Latin America: New Developmentalism or Extractivist Imperialism?” Henry Veltmeyer questions the material basis of the “red” or “pink” tide of progressive regimes that have arisen in Latin America since 2000. These regimes have relied on the export of natural resources and primary commodities for national development strategies. As a result, they have been unable to create an environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive form of development. The state has sided with the extractive industries, and so it has been unsympathetic to civil society organizations’ opposition to mining projects. According to Veltmeyer, the clash between state and society on the issue of resource extraction is not just an environmental issue, but a class struggle that challenges the basis of global capitalism.
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Henry Veltmeyer (2012) studied this question.