Moctezuma’s Revenge: How Liberalism Distorts Latin American Realities in Mexico, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador

Abstract

This paper examines how liberalism (political, economic, and methodological) distort American understanding of Latin American realities, specifically problems of crime, corruption, and violence in Mexico, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador. The American promotion of democracy and Neoliberal reforms has contributed to a widening inequality gap and the manipulation of political parties by elites. As a result, growing popular disenchantment with democracy and Neoliberalism has translated into in the rise of illiberal democracies in three of the countries, while a weakened Mexican state (from liberal reforms) faces the daunting challenges of increased corruption, violence, and crime from drug cartels. Rather than an illiberal democracy, Mexico is becoming a “narco-democracy”. The American promotion of liberalism has simply served to exacerbate these problems.