1. RIZA NOER ARFANI 2007 LATIN AMERICAN GOVT & POLITICS DEPT. OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS GADJAH MADA UNIVERSITY Latin America Political Context

2. 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

3. 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 problems Globalization  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

4. 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

5. Social & racial composition Countries in which a mestizo population dominates:  South America: Venezuela & Colombia  Central America: Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama & Mexico Countries overwhelmingly European in character:  Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Costa Rica Countries 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

6. 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

7. 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)

8. 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...