Lowell Gustafson, PhD

National and Human Security Issues in Latin America: Democracies at Risk

In this book, an international group of distinguished scholars analyze how Latin Americans are struggling with the question of how they can provide for their security while they govern themselves. They explain Latin Americans' complex definitions of security and current threats to it. Various external forces - from Al Qaeda and the International Monetary Fund to certain policies of the United States government - threaten Latin Americans' autonomy. Economic and political elites may restrict popular self-government, sometimes by promising to provide for security at the cost of liberty. The lives, property, and well-being of Latin American peoples often remain in the balance. The authors show how Latin American nations, individuals, and peoples are seeking to make themselves more secure through their democracies. They consider how Latin Americans are asserting their democratic rights and seeking to deepen the practices of freedom during the current domestic transitions and the war on terror. They judge the prospects for the success of Latin American democracies meeting the severe threats to the region's security. Given Latin American political history and contemporary insecurities, the chapters demonstrate why the future of these democracies is at risk.