Welcome to the Latin America Current Events Blog!! This week's articles have been chosen to provide you a brief introduction to a few of the ongoing stories in Latin American politics and society. My hope is that as the semester goes on your understanding of these and other stories will grow and it will become easier for you to identify connections between Latin American current events and our other class material. Remember that all class members should read each article thoroughly and that it is never to early to begin commenting on the articles, the related questions, or your classmates' blog posts.
Here are the links to this week's articles:
Violence in Guatemala: Got to admit it's getting better
Nationalising utilities in Bolivia: From tap to socket
Cubans set for foreign travel as permits abolished
Hugo Chavez: Continuity or crisi as swearing-in delayed?
Each week I will include approximately two questions on the blog after the week's articles. Blog posters should address at least one of these questions while they will also provide points of discussion for those who comment. These questions will grow more specific as the semester advances and we have covered more material in class. For now they will be pretty open-ended and posters should feel free to bring in personal opinions and information from other classes or outside experiences to support their points. Remember, your entire blog post does not have to address these questions. Your posts can also connect multiple articles, connect one or more articles to class material (lecture, readings, debates), or bring in outside information with some connection to the week's material.
Q1: Do economic liberties and/or services have anything to do with the quality of a democratic government? For example, is the free market an inherent part of democracy or is democracy better promoted by policies that pursue economic equality by lowering prices or providing free or subsidized services?
Q2: In what ways can you see 'history' at work in current Latin American politics or society? Do we see evidence of path dependence in any of these stories?
It seems as if economic liberties and and services are certainly connected with the quality of a democratic government. However, just like in America, it seems as if Bolivians are confused as to what should be regulated by the government and what should be left to operate privately. It seems to me that nationalising utilities in Bolivia seemed to be working for a small period of time, but is actually going to make things worse in the long run and is just covering up other issues this country needs to address.
ReplyDeleteI would guess that Morales decided to nationalize certain industries in a sincere attempt to redistribute the power to the indigenous peoples of Bolivia, since that had been a major launching point during his campaign. Reading the article, however, made me also wonder of how detrimental the privatization of industries was to the economy. I agree with Sam in suggesting that Morales focus on other issues that can benefit the economy, without putting the indigenous in a worse position than they were prior to his election.
DeleteThe influence of history is central to the socio-economic workings of nations in Latin America, and specifically Cuba. Focusing on the role of politics, this week’s articles characterize Cuba as an outlier of Latin America as one of the only cases of explicitly socialist government, in contrast to the majority of democracy-dominant nations of Latin America. However, this anomalous status of Cuba (as separated from other Latin American countries) is a result of more than just current politics. The nation’s separation has deep historical roots as well. Primarily, Cuba experiences isolation from other Latin American countries due to its geography—a small, independent island nation, separate from any main land ties. Due in part to this geography, Cuba’s history (drastically different from that of many other Latin American nations) proved an outlier in trends of establishing independence from colonial imperial powers. Being a relatively young independent nation (as Cuba did not gain independence until 1898) the nation displays the struggles of establishing a strong foundational economy and political system characteristic of many nations in their early stages. This late securing of independence in Cuban history helped to shape modern Cuba as distinct from other nations. The article, Cubans set for foreign travel as exit permits abolished, however, suggests that recent events in Cuba serve (perhaps unintentionally) to break with the trend of the nation’s distinction and isolation from other nations by diminishing restrictions of foreign travel. This move demonstrates an acknowledgement of Cuba’s dependence on a global market. The article explains that “the government, which once denounced those who left Cuba as ‘worms’ and traitors, now talks of them simply as economic migrants. The authorities are gambling that by making it easier to travel, more Cubans will work and study abroad then bring their money and expertise back to the island.” This shows an attempt on Cuba’s part to undermine path-dependency and break the cycle of isolation by engaging with and borrowing from foreign economies. It will be interesting to see how this politically charged strategy plays out for the Cuban government. As the common view of the Cuban people suggests that many will take the opportunity to venture elsewhere “because of how things are in this country (Cuba); young people’s material needs, the things we want and can’t get here. It’s the American dream”, the Cuban nation may suffer from lack of land labor and capital, or this opportunity may be a “quick-juncture” which completely reverses the course of the country.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sarah, especially in her saying that Cuba is making a considerable effort in "breaking the cycle." Given the tumultuous political history of the nation, I think that easing the emigration requirements was a smart move not just economically, but politically as well. If Cuba becomes subsequently more economically enriched with the "money and expertise" being sent back as a result of this decision, then I would not be surprised to see a regression of the largely autocratic political scene that has enveloped Cuba since the imperialistic era, and instead a large step toward a more democratic nation. I think Sarah made an excellent point in mentioning that this decision is an attempt to "undermine path-dependency and break the cycle of isolation." Given the recent political changes around the world, it is not so shocking to me that Cuba as well would take a step, however small, in becoming a more progressive state. Economics and politics works hand in hand, so a more open economy could very well lead to more open political policies.
DeleteI find the scenario with Hugo Chavez incredibly interesting. It is fascinating how Venezuela is at a political crossroads in a decision in delegating authority in the absence of their definitively elected official. It is also interesting to me how the nation seems to have democratically opted for a seemingly socialist political structure(or at least dramatically left winged in the sense of delegating power to the government). I am intrigued to see the outcome of the event, especially if President Chavez is unable to re-assume his political position.
ReplyDeleteI am intersted as to what has stopped the Venezuelan government from following the constitution and putting the head of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, in as a temporary filler for Chavez. Seeing as how Cabello is from the same party as Chavez means that this is not an issue of ideals or party lines, which makes me even more puzzled. Why would the Venezuelan government not want to have Cabello fill in, as stated in the constitution, while Chavez is sick? Unless there was some sort of inner-party conflict as was mentioned in the article. This whole situation seems a little too calm and mysterious for me.
DeleteI find the article on Cuba really interesting and like Sarah has already mentioned, you can really see history at work here in terms of the politics of Cuba. The fact that unlike the majority of Latin American, Cuba is more of an authoritarian regime and pretty far from democracy. However, this article shows how the politics in Cuba are changing--obtaining passports for travel is something that was previously unimaginable for Cubans, and it is a major step in "loosening government control over private lives." A lot of things are changing in Cuba and I think this may be changing history in itself because it is a step, maybe a small step, though still a step, towards democratization for Cuba.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Caitlin here. It seems like in ten years Cuba will be a drastically different country than we currently know it as. I think the changes will be mutually beneficial for both Cuba and the United States. One important change that is rather foreseeable is getting rid of the embargo. This would allow both countries to import and export with hopefully little to no tariffs. I think this would really help Cuba's economy, while allowing the United States to get sugar and tobacco very cheaply. Also, a lift on the travel ban would be great. Cuba is on the top of my list of places to visit, and I think they could really use the tourism. It will be interesting to watch this all play out.
DeleteIt seems to me that Sam hit the nail on the head. Simply said, the quality and quantity of economic liberties and services are directly correlated with the quality of democratic government. Regarding the original example in the question, free market ideology and policies do not necessarily require or perpetuate solid democratic ideals and policies but it is clear that free market ideas are often more indicative of a democracy than of other regime types.
ReplyDeleteThe dynamics of the 'history' of Latin America have and continue to shape the reality of many of the Latin American countries. The article re: Guatemala acknowledges that much of the violent turmoil in Guatemala has roots in the brutal ~40 year civil war. In the article on Bolivia, it is essential in acknowledge that in the context of how history has effected Bolivia today, that Evo Morales is the first indigenous leader of Bolivia and because of the large indigenous population, it might make sense that Morales in his situation is attempting to redistribute some wealth to his populist following. Morales should be careful though as we have seen that to much state regulation and control can create unsustainable environements which although might create short-term benefit will not provide a similar situation in the long-run.
If we are to assume that human beings desire to live in a nation where the government erects minimal economic barriers for their citizens, then it is fair to assume that the quality of that nation’s democracy plays a big role in providing economic liberties. In a strictly democratic government, the economic liberties of the citizens are directly correlated with the quality of that nation’s democratic system. It can be observed that nations which have high quality democracy tend to be more economically liberal. The opposite is often true when a nation demonstrates poor quality in regards to their democratic system.
ReplyDeleteBy “high quality” I mean to suggest that a country has a democratic system that is not so corrupt as to function in a manner that reflects the will of its citizens. Most people would prefer to be under a government that does not set too many boundaries on its citizen’s economic activities, this desire for economic liberty is reflected in how these citizens vote. Western democratic nations in the European Union and democratic nations like the United States tend to have liberal economies, because they have a high quality democratic system which reflects the will of the citizens, and in most cases the will of the people is for a liberal economy. To exemplify this point one only has to look at the newly developed democracy of the African nations versus the European Union. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, we see how a poor quality democracy has played a pivotal role in impeding strong economic progress. Corrupt politicians who fall to the lure of bribes from western interests and a rigged voting system have prevented the citizens of this African nation from being able to obtain economic liberty. On the other hand, democratic nations of the European Union with little corruption and a non-rigged voting system allows for the citizens to implement a government that parallels their interests in economic liberty.
Now, I am not suggesting that a high quality democracy inherently means total economic liberty; for the sake of a stable economy a high quality democracy must be able to put up some boundaries. These boundaries are necessary as mean to discourage immoral behavior. The failure to set these boundaries and rules may ultimately be the Achilles’ heel to the liberal economy. This was recently exposed with the 2008 economic collapse. The failure to regulate derivatives trading amongstlarge financial firms ultimately leads to the collapse of a global economy.