Forgotten Continent : The Battle for Latin America's Soul

by Michael Reid

• ISBN13: 9780300116168
• ISBN10: 0300116160
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2008-01-03
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

Latin America has often been condemned to failure. Neither poor enough to evoke Africa's moral crusade, nor as explosively booming as India and China, it has largely been overlooked by the West. Yet this vast continent, home to half a billion people, the world's largest reserves of arable land, and 8.5 percent of global oil, is busily transforming its political and economic landscape. This book argues that rather than failing the test, Latin America's efforts to build fairer and more prosperous societies make it one of the world's most vigorous laboratories for capitalist democracy. In many countriesincluding Brazil, Chile and Mexicodemocratic leaders are laying the foundations for faster economic growth and more inclusive politics, as well as tackling deep-rooted problems of poverty, inequality, and social injustice. They face a new challenge from Hugo Chavez's oil-fuelled populism, and much is at stake. Failure will increase the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants to the United States and Europe, jeopardize stability in a region rich in oil and other strategic commodities, and threaten some of the world's most majestic natural environments. Drawing on Michael Reid's many years of reporting from inside Latin America's cities, presidential palaces, and shantytowns, the book provides a vivid, immediate, and informed account of a dynamic continent and its struggle to compete in a globalized world.

Author Biography

Michael Reid is editor of the Americas section of the Economist. Previously based in Brazil, Mexico, and Peru, he has traveled throughout Latin America and reported for the BBC, the Guardian, and the Economist since 1982.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. vii
List of Charts and Tables	p. ix
Maps of the Region	p. x
Preface	p. xii
The Forgotten Continent	p. 1
The Latin American Conundrum	p. 30
The Seed of Democracy in the Land of the Caudillo	p. 52
Cold War and Revolution: The United States and the Left Reject Democracy	p. 81
Failed Reformers, Debt-ridden Dictators: The Right Rejects Democracy	p. 106
The Rise and Fall of the Washington Consensus	p. 124
The Populist Challenge	p. 159
The Reformist Response	p. 179
Changing Societies	p. 212
Evolving States	p. 233
The Stubborn Resilience of Flawed Democracies	p. 264
The Loneliness of Latin America	p. 293
Glossary	p. 316
Notes	p. 322
Bibliography	p. 357
Index	p. 366
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