These are the years of experimentation for Latin American revolutionaries. The two main guerrilla theories now being tested are both essentially of Cuban origin: the first is the theory of roving bands rather than guerrilla base areas, as propounded by Regis Debray in his book Revolution in the Revolution? The second is the theory of the continental revolution as implied in the message of Che Guevara to the Organization of the Solidarity of the people of Africa, Asia, and Latin America (OSPAAAL).
Regis Debray, the French intellectual who entered Bolivia under ambiguous circumstances (he says he was a journalist, but the Bolivian government is trying him for "treason, sedition, murder and other crimes") argues that the guerrilla bands form their own doctrine as they roam the countryside engaging the necessary loyalty of the peasantry as well as engaging government troops.
This theory, now regarded as the official Cuban "line" on strategy, differs fundamentally from the Chinese theory that the political party comes first and then sets out to organize a guerrilla force.
One of Debray's points is that U.S. military technology has reached such a high level of sophistication that permanent, fixed guerrilla base areas, such as the Communist Chinese develepode in their struggle, are now veloped in their struggle, are now inevitable.
Many Vietnams
Che, in his message to OSPAAAL, from which the now popular slogan, "To Create Two, Three, Many Vietnams is the Watchword" was drawn, reasons that since United States imperalism is the one kingpin propping up social structures in Latin American countries, what a revolutionary must seek to destroy first is the imperialist force.
Beneath the boring rhetoric of anti-imperialism emerges an interesting tactical strategy.
Implied in Che's message to the OSPAAAL is the doctrine that nascent revolutionary movements in Latin America must coordinate their efforts, that the revolution in Latin America must come on a continental scale, rather than on a local, nationalist scale, for, he argues, American imperialism will be able to crush uprisings only if they occur one at a time, in one country at a time.
What the political, economic, and military power of the United States will not be able to handle, he maintains, is a series of coordinated guerrilla insurrections in many countries at the same time. The rhetoric of "solidarity" thus takes on a profound practical significance.
If you look at a map of South America, Bolivia, sharing borders with Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, and Brazil, occupies a strategic position. In terms of Che's continental revolution, the continuing Bolivian rebellion aims at not only taking power in that country, but also slopping over into the surrounding countries.
Should this occur, the United States would find itself facing guerrilla problems spreading out from the original focal point in Bolivia, and would be forced to send special forces adviors to aid these governments in suppressing the rebellions--as it now has done in Bolivia.
This was the way Vietnam began, and Che argues that 'Two, Three, Many Vietnams" all over Latin America would place an unacceptable strain on U.S. resources and determination.
Summarily Shot
Last October 9 Che Guevara was sunmmarily shot by Bolivian authorities, but the apocalyptic vision he held of the Latin American revolution may yet be fulfilled. The men who gathered at the Habana Libre last August are taking up the work and the idea of the man who was trapped in an isolated canyon in southern Bolivia last month.
He was a man possessed by his vision, and he wrote in the OSPAAAL message:
"Wherever death may surprise us, let it be welcome, provided that this, our battle cry, may have reached some receptive ear, and another hand may be extended to wield our weapons, and other men be ready to intone the funeral dirge with the staccato singing of the machineguns and new battle cries of war and victory.