Overview: Latin America & the Caribbean

Although nearly all Latin American and Caribbean countries have democratically elected civilian governments, democracy is clearly on the defensive. Many of the region's governments have failed to generate sustained economic growth and improve the well-being of their citizens. In most countries, poverty and inequality have risen in recent years.

Democratic governments have also failed to guarantee order. Both common and organized crime are out of control in many cities and countries. Crime waves are producing a public backlash that has weakened support for civil liberties and respect for human rights. In this context, support for democracy is declining among the region’s citizens.

These realities place enormous pressure on democratically elected governments. Some leaders resort to manipulating democratic processes, as in the case of Ecuador’s former president Lucio Gutiérrez. When these leaders fail to deliver, they are often driven from office, as evidenced by events in Bolivia in 2003. But the result is often a political vacuum rather than a consolidation of democracy.

Democratization in Latin America and the Caribbean faces several intrinsic problems:

• Democratic reform of public institutions takes a long time under the best of circumstances. It takes even longer when there is a weak foundation of democratic values and experience to guide the effort. Waning support for democracy and distrust of leaders among citizens further complicate these efforts.
• One of the main legacies of the long periods of authoritarian rule in Latin America is a profound polarization between "government" and "civil society." Authoritarian regimes and military governments viewed organized civil society as a threat and sought to either co-opt or repress leaders and organizations.
• Even with considerable political will on the part of reformist regimes and favorable international conditions, reducing poverty and inequality and overcoming the legacies of social exclusion will take years. But if these regimes cannot produce visible interim improvements they will not last long enough to generate sustainable reform programs.

Given this weak foundation of regimes and distrust among citizens, the Latin America Program at the Open Society Institute focuses on:

• promoting greater transparency and accountability;
• strengthening democratic institutions; 
• ensuring international support for open society goals.

Among OSI's initiatives, the Latin America Program provides the most comprehensive information about the organization's activities in Latin America and the Caribbean.