Current Search: 20th century (x) » Democratization (x)
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Title
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The consequences of conditioned democracy promotion by the United States in Latin America.
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Creator
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Walsh, Kelly., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
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Abstract/Description
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Democracy promotion is an important tenet of United States foreign policy. However, U.S. democracy promotion efforts are conditioned by geopolitical concerns, economic goals, and security interests. This thesis analyzes the impact of U.S. foreign policy in Chile, Colombia, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Evidence from these cases suggests that United States foreign policy has contributed to the growth of unhealthy or pseudo-democracies in Latin America because frequently the policy reinforces the...
Show moreDemocracy promotion is an important tenet of United States foreign policy. However, U.S. democracy promotion efforts are conditioned by geopolitical concerns, economic goals, and security interests. This thesis analyzes the impact of U.S. foreign policy in Chile, Colombia, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Evidence from these cases suggests that United States foreign policy has contributed to the growth of unhealthy or pseudo-democracies in Latin America because frequently the policy reinforces the political and economic power of entrenched elites or the military. These groups, whose interests more closely align with U.S interests, are often uncommitted to supporting policy that promotes human rights and equitable distribution of wealth and power or that demands universal political liberties. Democracy is promoted rhetorically rather than in practice, and consequently is unresponsive and illegitimate. Future democracy promotion efforts by the United States, if they are to be successful, must overcome this illegitimacy by compensating for the conflicts that conditioned democracy produces.
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Date Issued
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2009
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/210005
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Subject Headings
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Democracy, Democratization, Government policy, Politics and government, Foreign relations, Foreign relations
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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Title
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Free markets and free governments in Latin America.
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Creator
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Rossknecht, Timothy L., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
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Abstract/Description
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Latin America has undergone a "third wave" of democratization and free market economic reforms, known as "neoliberalism." Neoliberalism radically altered what had been statist or corporatist economic systems, under austere programs that mandated deregulation, privatization, currency devaluation, and the elimination of protective tariffs and subsidies. Seventeen Latin American nations were examined in the aggregate, comparing levels of economic reform with measures of political and civil...
Show moreLatin America has undergone a "third wave" of democratization and free market economic reforms, known as "neoliberalism." Neoliberalism radically altered what had been statist or corporatist economic systems, under austere programs that mandated deregulation, privatization, currency devaluation, and the elimination of protective tariffs and subsidies. Seventeen Latin American nations were examined in the aggregate, comparing levels of economic reform with measures of political and civil rights and freedoms, poverty, inequality, and popular support for democratic institutions and practices. The tests were repeated within two in-depth case studies, Argentina and Mexico. In all three cases, neoliberalism was statistically linked with increased political rights and freedom, but failed to improve levels of poverty and inequality, and was shown to be partially responsible for downturns in popular support for democratic institutions (i.e. Parliament) and practices (i.e. labor unions, legal protests).
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Date Issued
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2006
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/11582
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Subject Headings
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Neoliberalism, Latin America, Economic conditions, Economic stabilization, Social aspects, Democratization, History
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Format
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Document (PDF)
