Hope meets reason: we see what's failing for the left in Latin America. How about what's working?

With the exception of Cuba, Latin America's left has "failed miserably in its efforts to take power, make revolution and change the world." So wrote former Mexico Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda in his 1993 book. Utopia Unarmed.

To be a serious electoral force, Castaneda argued, the left must reestablish its traditional role as a force for improving the lives of millions of poor Latin Americans. It must renounce violent revolution. And it must "democratize democracy," making political systems more responsive to the majority. Most importantly, Castaneda said, the left must work within capitalism to create a more egalitarian society.

Ten years later, only one leftist leader has heeded that advice. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a charismatic former labor leader, has earned praise from the international financial community. All the while, he has kept inflation in check and strengthened Brazil's real against the U.S. dollar.

Despite his surprising embrace of the market, Lula also has pushed forward on an impressive social agenda, including job creation, universal literacy and fighting hunger. One-third of Brazil's 175 million are undernourished. The government plans by the end of the year to give poor families in 1,000 towns a monthly stipend of US$17.

In contrast, consider Latin America's other most prominent leftist leaders.

Cuba's Fidel Castro should be applauded for doing much to bring health and education to the poor. But he grudgingly moved away from socialism only after the fall of his former backer, the Soviet Union. He has since morphed into a repressive version of his predecessor Fulgencio Batista--the man he drove from power 44 years ago. Castro most recently jailed 75 dissidents to long prison sentences for wanting a free press and the right to vote. Three men who hijacked a ferry in an attempt to flee to the United States were executed for their trouble.

In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez is widely seen as the first chief executive of that nation who has ever paid attention to the nation's poorest. But he is an authoritarian leader who uses vitriolic rhetoric to cow political opposition; his economic program stinks.

Lula, meanwhile, is building alliances. He plans to pay for social programs by cutting military spending 30% and by initiating reforms to streamline the tax system and to reform Brazil's bloated pension system, which gobbles up 5% of Brazil's output. He understands that without reform, Brazil cannot grow or tackle its immense social problems.

Lula also understands that close ties with the United States are a fact of life. He has sought common ground with the right-wing Bush administration, which has chafed many around the globe by pushing for U.S. dominance on a number of political and economic fronts. At the same time, he has made it clear that Brazil will not become another U.S. client state, demanding that Washington and Europe level the economic playing field by removing trade barriers.

Make way. Most interestingly, Lula has challenged developed nations to create international funds to fight global hunger and to help speed Latin America's integration into the world economy, including paying for hefty infrastructure costs. The money would come from wealthy countries contributing in proportion to their military spending.

Lula's rising star has not escaped Castaneda's attention. In a recent article in Foreign Affairs, the Mexican intellectual advised Washington to become a cheerleader for Lula. "The reward," he writes, would be "the stability of Brazil, something of paramount value to the region and the United States."

In view of the recent crackdown in Cuba, even some of Castro's most loyal friends are now questioning his legitimacy. Lula, meanwhile, under pressure from party radicals over his economic program, has rebuked the far left, telling them that failure to pass reforms would mean it "will take another 50 years for the left to come to power again" in South America.

It's high time the Latin American left adopts a new icon. Make way for Lula.