After collapse of both Communist and military fascist regimes in South America, Latin America has a unique opportunity to forge a new path and create a new political identity. Both Thomas Wright (2000) and Forrest Colburn (2002), however, point out that despite the watershed period that Latin America is facing at this point in history, the energy and the will of those citizens who could create that new identity is at an all time low. Indeed, both Wright and Colburn discuss whether this could be the end of politics with a capital "P" in Latin America. This paper will examine the messages set forth by these two authors in regards to the future of South America as well as critique their effectiveness.
Colburn in Latin American at the End of Politics (2002) uses different essays, or "Chapters," in his book to show "windows" on Latin American life. The author admits "no effort to be comprehensive could be successful" since he must be "selective" (Colburn, 2002, p. 5). Yet, he does attempt to bring of a fairly well balanced picture of the socio-political scene in contemporary Latin America. Additionally, although this book may be considered a secondary resource, because some of the chapters are first hand accounts of life in Latin America, the discussion is more compelling. Colburn's most apparent point is, since nature abhors a vacuum, and standard political liberalism and free-market economies have taken over, is this current political situation appropriate to Latin America. If this is not appropriate, what would be the best political model? As he points out (2002), a vigorous democracy evolves through healthy competition between political parties. Rather than developing human and civil rights along with expanding the economy, however, equality is being shuffled to the back while most people concentrate on the accumulation of material goods (Colburn, 2002). After Colburn's discussion, there is then a chapter, "Fragile Democracie...