What is the biggest threat to Latin American democracy?
Saturday, August 22nd, 2009
A) America’s lackluster support of the Organization of American States
B) Military intervention
C) Charismatic, authoritarian demagogues
D) President Bush
A) WRONG ANSWER – The US shoulders 60% ($47 million) of the Organization of American States (OAS) budget which is hardly lackluster support. (1) Unquestionably the OAS has many shortcomings that have hindered democracy in this hemisphere but to blame the generous US support for this failing requires a degree of cynicism most of us will find unbecoming. It would be wise and sound policy if the OAS were to critically examine its behavior towards democracy in Latin America today. As Glenn Garvin writes, “An organization that can, with a straight face, expel Honduras as a threat to democracy barely a month after inviting Cuba (50 years without elections and still counting) to join, has lost any claim to serious consideration,…” (2) And this hypocritical stance is not limited to the case of Cuba, as the same author details, for the OAS was quiet in 2000 when the military forced out Jamil Mahuad in Ecuador. In addition, there was not a peep from the OAS when Evo Morales in Bolivia drove two presidents out of office by the use of force. (2) Other examples abound. (5)
B) WRONG ANSWER – Susan Kaufman Purcell, Director of the Center for Hemispheric Policy at the University of Miami, reminds us that “the region does not want to return to its sorry past of constant alternations between democratic governments and military regimes.” (3) There are many examples in the history of our southern neighbors of military interventions against governments traveling the path to democracy that give weight to this admonition. But, while laudable, the idea can distort our judgments about military actions. For instance, recently the action by the military in Honduras has been widely criticized and characterized as a simple coup d’état. But in this Central American nation the military, following orders from the Supreme Court and the Congress, deposed President Zelaya who was attempting to unravel democratic standards. (3,4)In this case one may argue that it was the military action that helped democracy, specially in light of the “Charismatic, authoritarian demagogues” of the region (see explanatory comments for “C”) (3,4)
C. CORRECT ANSWER – Purcell very astutely points that “Today, in contrast, the main threat to democracy in Latin America is not the military but rather, charismatic, authoritarian demagogues who use modern means of communication for two undemocratic purposes.” One of these is the mobilization of the masses, a very anarchists/communist modus operandi, and the other is the dismantling of democratic institutions under the guise of democratically elected authoritarians. It was the latter that Zelaya attempted in Honduras. (3,4)
D) WRONG ANSWER – The punching bag of the left is included in this group of choices just so those on the left, when they see the name of President Bush as one of the choices, may become interested and quite unintentionally read the rest of the information.
1) OAS lifts ban on Cuba after compromise with U.S – WorldFocus
2) OAS turns a blind eye to violations by left – Glen Garvin
3) Democracy is under siege – Susan Kaufman Purcell
4) Who violated the constitution in Honduras? - L. American Herald Tribune
5) Doble moral democrática – Jorge Ramos Avalos
Jose A Hernandez, MD
cubaresponde@cubaresponde.org
