Largely overlooked by the outside world, Latin America has made much progress in the past few decades. A sense of perspective is important: three generations ago, most Latin Americans lived in semi-feudal conditions in the countryside; less than two generations ago, many were being murdered because of their political beliefs. This is not an argument for complacency in the face of Latin America’s relative failures of development and the flaws of its democracies. Rather, it is to say that the relatively disappointing record of many of Latin America’s democratic governments should be judged
...more
