Latin American Democracies in Danger:

What, asks Heraldo Muñoz, is behind the current phenomenon of democratic backsliding—globally and, particularly, in Latin America? What clues can we find to answer that question? Most crucially, can the current trajectory be changed?

Muñoz draws on his experiences as a political dissident, a political scientist, and then a participant at the highest levels of Chilean and international politics to discuss what he suggests is the principal threat to democracy in Latin America: not traditional coups d’etat, but rather the gradual kidnapping of democracy from within the system by elected governments that become autocratic. His nuanced analysis, and his proposals for reversing this trend, are essential reading.