The third way and the Latin American left

The third way in the USA and Britain appears to be over. Clinton and Blair are out of office. In the last days of its 13 year government the British Labour Party moved from a third way approach to a more pragmatic and ad-hoc one. But it left a legacy in European social democracy. In Latin America there have been a number of attempts to mix liberal economics with social justice, third way style. The politics of leaders like Lula and Bachelet fell into this category. At the same time Latin America has what the US and UK do not, a politics further to the left, espoused by Chavez and Morales amongst others. This article will look at politics in Brazil and Latin America as third way politics and compared to the third way. Is there a third way in Latin America and what lefts are there in play there and in Europe? What role does context play in explaining left politics in both places? And are there bases for commonality between European social democracy and Latin American lefts?