RIZA NOER ARFANI2007 LATIN AMERICAN GOVT & POLITICS

DEPT. OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSGADJAH MADA UNIVERSITY

Latin America Political Context

The background

To comprehend Latin America exceedingly diverse area as well as commonalities in terms of law, language, history, culture, sociology, colonial experience, and overall political patterns

Debate over Latin American heritage & future: Western or non-Western Feudal, capitalist, or socialist First world (developed nations) or Third world (developing

nations) Evolutionary or revolutionary change

Consensus among Latin American countries nowadays: democracy in political sphere, modern-mixed economy, and greater integration with the rest of the world

The driving forces...

Democratization Democracy as overwhelmingly the preferred form of

government of Latin America Takes forms that are often different from that of the US Still threatened by upheaval, corruption and vast social

problemsGlobalization

Affects Latin America in all areas of life: culture, society (behavioral norms), politics, and above all economics

Latin America as part of global market economy Latin America has little choice but to open its markets to

global trade & investment

The key features...

Countries/nations: 18 Spanish-speaking, 1 Portuguese-speaking (Brazil), 1 French or patois-speaking (Haiti)

Area: South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Carribean islands, encompasses 8 million square miles/21 million sq kms/about 1/5 of the world’s total land area.

Population: over 500 million/almost twice that of the US Note: former Dutch & British colonies in the area are

not culturally, socially, religiously, or politically “Latin”America

Social & racial composition

Countries in which a mestizo population dominates: South America: Venezuela & Colombia Central America: Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama

& MexicoCountries overwhelmingly European in character:

Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Costa RicaCountries with conspicous Indian groupings,

generally inhabiting the highlands: Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay

Countries dominated by African admixtures: Brazil The Carribean: Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti

The economies

Foundation of Latin American economies: rapacious/predatory & exploitative... Mercantilist era: colonies such as Spain and Portugal existed

solely for the benefit of the mother countries Colonial and after-independence era: feudal or semi-feudal

estate patterned after the European model, with Spaniards & Portuguese as the overlords & Indians and blacks as peasants & slaves

Last half of the 19th century: feudal estates began to be converted into more capitalistic enterprises producing more intensively for world market as well as home consumption

First half of the 20th century: industrialization began in the 1930s precisely because the countries had no export earnings to purchase imported manufactured goods

Post-war era: Latin America developed rapidly on the basis of ISI model

1990s: the economic growth in many countries was still anemic and debt continued to be a burden

Classes & social forces

Two-class system as a reflection of feudal Spain and of the medieval Christian conception Strict social hierarchy: immutable & in accord with God’s

ordering of the universe

This two-class structure of the society and rigid class structure was reinforced by racial criteria... The onset of economic growth in the late 19th century &

industrialization in the 20th century gave rise to new social forces

Latin America today: more pluralistic than before Al lower-class levels important changes are also occuring: labor

organization, peasants mobilization, and other community groupings (women, Protestantism, racial/ethnic, environmental)

Political culture

Elitism/authoritrianism as derivation of elitist power structure, biblical precepts & medieval Christianity which emphasize on top-down rule, and the chaotic and often anarchic conditions that seemed to demand strong government

Corporatism: the organization of the nation’s interest group life under state regulation & control, not on the basis of freedom of association

Patronage/patrimonialism: a system of mutual obligation, a favor for a favor...

Socialism/marxism, social-democratic, populism, liberal democracy/liberalism...