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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: epicure who wrote (137837)	6/24/2004 5:05:21 PM
From: cnyndwllr	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

X, In the article you posted I sense a great failing in Latin American "democracies." Freely elected officials who are not subject to rigorous oversight and the unquestioned authority of a strong judicial branch will likely be indistinguishable, in terms of corruption and abuse, from those empowered by other, less democratic, means. Even if democratically elected leaders are not corrupt, the absence of a powerful, impartial and trusted judiciary will leave those who feel alienated from power as volatile fodder for revolution and unrest. I'd guess that many of us think of our system of government and equate that with "democracy." I believe "democratically elected officials," however, is only one factor in the rich mix of culture, tradition and separation of powers that constitute our system of governance. The ultimate protections, and the most maligned by many with economic and political power, are those protections conveyed by an independent judicial system. It's always been a mystery to me that so many in this country who would be powerless to protect their rights without a strong judiciary, nevertheless get sucked right into the camp of those who viciously malign the courts. While it's not surprising that those who possess economic and political power will resent the judiciary's checks and balances on their ability to wield such power, why would the rest of us approve of the erosion of such important protections? In spite of such considerations we see popular support for more and more limits on the power of the courts and more and more efforts on the part of big business, big government and law enforcement to mobilize such support by amassing, exaggerating and creating stories about judicial abuse. Maybe, if they get their way, we'll one day have a better understanding of why the Latin Americans may not all feel that "democracy" is the lynchpin of opportinity for all nor a guarantee of freedom from oppression.

To: epicure who wrote (137837)	6/24/2004 5:47:02 PM
From: FaultLine	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

Hello X the Unknown, I'm glad you posted this. I read it in my NYT early this morning and thought, "Uh oh." --fl Latin America Is Growing Impatient With Democracy ...Analysts say that the main source of the discontent is corruption and the widespread feeling that elected governments have done little or nothing to help the 220 million people in the region who still live in poverty, about 43 percent of the population. "Latin America is paying the price for centuries of inequality and injustice, and the United States really doesn't have a clue about what is happening in the region," said Riordan Roett, director of Latin American studies at Johns Hopkins University. "These are very, very fragile regimes," he added. "Increasingly, there's frustration and resentment. The rate of voting is going down. Blank ballots are increasing. The average Latin American would prefer a very strong government that produces a physical security and economic security, and no government has been able to do that."