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Democracy's Uneven Path
| Article
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15284 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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| Issue
Date : |
8 / 1989 |
3,898 Words |
| Author
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Roger Fontaine
Roger Fontaine is Washington correspondent for Tiempos del
Mundo, a Buenos Aires-based newspaper. He was a member of the
National Security Council, responsible for Latin America, from
1981 to 1983. |
On paper, it looks good: From the depths of despotism a dozen years ago, South America now emerges pristinely democratic. In fact, every republic in this vast continent has--or will soon have--a government elected democratically in an open and competitive contest.
Well, almost. It is true that Guyana--the former British dependency--has not been caught up in the democratic tide surging over that great southern landmass. But for a generation no one has paid attention, unfortunately, to what happens in Georgetown, except for neighboring Venezuela, which claims the country up to the Essequibo River.
Quibbles aside, the democratization of South America amounts to a great success for the Reagan-Bush administration belief that support for democracy is more important than hectoring selective countries on human rights--the leitmotiv of the Carter years. After all, in 1976 there were ten dictatorships (mostly military) in South America, and soon there will be none--assuming, of course, there are no unscheduled, unconstitutional, and violent changes in leadership. To be sure, this is an obvious caveat, but there are grounds for hope, at least in the short run.
Panama remains the ultimate exception to everything said and will be covered last. Belonging neither to South nor Central America, Panama has its own peculiar characteristics, but the ruling regime's blatant disregard for democratic procedure must temper even the most cautious optimism about its prospects there and elsewhere.
But first, the good news.
Recently, South America has had three prudential elections and a key referendum. All were, on balance, solid democratic pluses. The elections in Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina, as well as Uruguay's plebiscite, offer some measure of things to come. Within the year, three similar presidential votes will be held in Brazil, Chile, and Peru; most observers expect they too will take place on or ahead of schedule.
Still, before we prematurely celebrate the establishment of a permanently democratic new order in South America, it is better to review the region's current and looming problems, because even when there is a happy outcome, the path to democracy can still take some odd turns.
Paraguay's elections were a big surprise, as no
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