The Young Democracies of Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract

The young democracies of Latin America and the Caribbean, mostly all dating from the 1980s, can provide examples and inspiration for democracies elsewhere, positive models worthy of emulation. But if this is welcome news, all the developments from the region regarding the fate of its democracies are not good. Latin America and the Caribbean democracies are today facing several challenges that are both novel and serious. This essay offers an overall evaluation of the state of democracy in the region, analyzing the noteworthy gains and the troubling new dangers that democracies are confronting in Latin America and the Caribbean.