Storm over the Andes - Essay Example

Storm over the Andes Describe two common political or economic features related to Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador. The first feature is the lack of democratization even though the nations insist that they are democratic. The three Latin America nations have always been marked by political storm and military coup which stopped momentarily in the 1990s but then resumed in this decade (Lora 3). Military has been ousting out the democratically elected presidents and some even being murdered in order for them to remain in power and control the bow growing economy of these nations.

There are also leftists and fascists groups who are assisting in the removal of the constitutionally elected leaders and replacing them with their own groups. This happens through use of violence and threats. Lawlessness is the result of this political radicalism as they like to call it but it has left the country being run by criminals and unscrupulous characters and who now control the power. On the economic front, after the economic breakdown in the 1970s and 1980s, the Latin America economy underwent several reforms and which have seen the economic growth and success of some of these nations.

What is evident is the trade liberalization which has been brought about by the neoliberalism. All this however has been at the expense of the poor who are in no way benefiting from this trade liberalization. The immense success of the economy from the 1990s is being overshadowed by the continuing political storm in the area with the trade proceeds being used to conduct more coups and being misused to gain power and control over the region. With time all these economic success will be deemed futile if the current state of political affairs continues.

Have they become more or less common over the last 4 decades?The political and economic trend according to Lora, (2006) has almost been similar since 1970s where economic success or downturn affects the political stand and vice versa and hence these Latin American nations have almost been moving around in circles with no exit being seen in the near future. Fiscal problems in the 1970s brought about the need to change both the political and economic procedures. This led to the coining of the neo liberalism as well as democracy which lasted for a while throughout the 80s and 90s but then again changed.

With the success of the economy in terms of trade tariffs, having economic front with other nations leading to elimination of bureaucracies and strengthening of the public administration came the power greed by the fascists and radicalists in the form of criminals and military. Military coups became the order of the day in the 2000s and political assassinations and attempted assassinations became the center of the news. Power greed was the cause of all these as these fascists movements completely ignored the constitution and started ousting out the democratically elected leaders in office and taking charge in order to control the trade.

The ultimate result will be the falling of the economy and increased fiscal challenges once again which will necessitate more reforms in the economic sector. After economic success and political stability for a while, a new group of power hungry people will emerge and start disrupting the peace and stability once again leading to another cycle as has been the case in the last four decades. Work CitedLora, Eduardo. The State to State Reform in Latin America. Washington DC: World Bank Publications, 2006.