Enrique Desmond Arias
Jan 30, 2023A Left Turn? The Politics of Latin America Today
A Discussion with Enrique Desmond Arias
New Books Network 2023
This week, RBI director John Torpey interviews Prof. Enrique Desmond Arias, a professor of political science at Baruch College and the Graduate Center, about recent developments in Latin American politics. Arias delves into Peru's recent political unrest and how it resembles the times of Fujimori's authoritarianism and discusses the origins of polarization in the politics of Brazil. Arias also assesses the overall political situation of Latin America and highlights four phenomena: military and police repression addressed disproportionately to historically marginalized groups (not necessarily staging coups), the complacency of some political groups about authoritarianism, people’s unhappiness about governments that don't deliver, and, finally, the efforts of some governments to restore and strengthen democracy.