Peter Smith on Latin American Leaders
Bullet to ballot: Today's Latin American strongmen cling to power at the polls
10/02/2012
Simeon Tegel,
GlobalPost
The goose-stepping soldiers have long returned to their barracks and many of the generals who commanded them have died or been sentenced for crimes against humanity.
Yet, some three decades after the fall of the military dictatorships that once terrorized Latin America, democracy in the region is once again under attack.
This time, the strongmen are populist elected leaders, who — under a veneer of constitutionality — concentrate power in their own hands, marginalize opponents and use public resources to stack electoral races in their favor.
Click here to read the full article.
Related Links
Peter Smith specializes in comparative politics, Latin American politics, and U.S.-Latin American relations. Smith has served as president of the Latin American Studies Association and has been a consultant to the Ford Foundation, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, and other institutions. At UC San Diego, Smith served as director of the Center for Iberian and Latin American Studies (1989-2001) and director of Latin American Studies (1994-2001).
