This paper discusses Latin American governments in the context of history and examines how and why authoritarian governments developed.
The following paper examines the factors that contributed to socio-economic problems in Latin America in the past , as well as looks at the sustainability of democracy in Latin America. This paper discusses the significant socio-economic difficulties based upon the faltering economies of larger trading partners, income inequality, political polarization and corruption. The writer examines how in the past dictators cared more for maintaining their own power and the privilege of their own supporters than they did for the welfare of their people and countries. The writer argues that the success and continuation of democracy depends on the patience of the people to see the long-term results of regional initiatives. This paper contends that if people support the type of government that promotes the satisfaction of the most basic of needs, well-fed and employed people will not initiate revolutions.
“Going into the new millennium, Latin America seems to be poised for active participation as a part of an increasingly global social and economic environment, perhaps more than other developing regions. According to the current Bush Administration, it is virtually all democratic, there are no cross-border disputes, no ethnic conflicts, and there are no immediate threats of terrorism to the West coming from the area (Associated Press, 2002).Security cooperation has been shown in confidence-building measures among historical rivals in the region and peacekeeping operations in Central America and the Caribbean. Terms such as multilateralism, regionalism, consensus, and convergence appear in descriptions of hemispheric relations released by the World Bank and other entities sharing a belief in the positive potential of these factors.”