Latin America at the Crossroads: Debt, Development, and the Future by Howard J Wiarda

Latin America at the Crossroads: Debt, Development, and the Future by Howard J Wiarda

Author:Howard J Wiarda [Wiarda, Howard J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780367006792
Google: BIpZxgEACAAJ
Goodreads: 49675081
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2019-06-07T00:00:00+00:00


The Unraveling of Political Systems

It sometimes surprises North Americans (and some Latin Americans as well) to learn that there is a pattern, a system, of Latin American politics. We usually think, in our often condescending and ethnocentric way, that a region as unstable as Latin America lacks any form of systematic politics whatsoever.

In fact, Latin American politics is quite regular and systematic; the problem is not that a system is absent but, rather, that outside observers are unacquainted with the nature of the system and how it works. In a number of writings by this author and others,21 a more complete description of that system is given than can possibly be provided here. The reader should note, however, that the historic system of Latin American politics often incorporates military as well as civilian regimes, and that the routes to power often involve the kind of direct action outlined in the previous section (street movements, general strikes, marches on the national palace, carefully orchestrated political violence, coups, and revolutions) as well as elections. The Latin American political process is often more informal than formal, involving cliques, class, family, and patronage groups and networks as well as formal political parties, interest associations, and governmental institutions competing for power.

Related to the informal nature of politics is the fact that the mandate of any political leader is usually tentative and indefinite and does not necessarily correspond to any given or constitutional timetable. As long as political leaders who come to power by almost any means can legitimize their rule, and as long as they enjoy popular and corporate group support, they may stay in office; but should they at any time and for a variety of reasons lose legitimacy and support, they can quickly fall. The politics of Latin America is hurly-burly and often unstable but with well-understood rules of the game and persistent regularities. In this sense it constitutes a system, but the Latin American system is quite different from our own (although it does exhibit parallels as well, particularly at the formal constitutional level); moreover, it is certainly to be distinguished from the image of "chaos" so often mistakenly applied to the area.

Latin American politics has not only been more systematic than we usually think, but, historically, it has also been quite accommodative—again contrary to popular lore. The traditional systems of Latin American politics have been far more flexible and far less rigid (i.e., "closed" and "oligarchic") than we ordinarily think, usually bending to change rather than being overwhelmed by it. Two conditions must be met by a new and aspiring social group seeking admission to "the system": (1) It must demonstrate its power to disrupt or potentially take over the system, thus indicating that it has sufficient strength to be taken seriously and to have its presence recognized; and (2) it must not become excessively greedy or radical to the extent of seeking to destroy other more traditional groups so as to monopolize power and privileges for itself. Those groups in



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