Latin American Politics

Latin American Politics
Name
Institution
Question 1
Peru's society began to experience drastic economic and social changes from the beginning of the 1950s. In the last thirty years, Peru has been considered the fastest growing country in South America. The adoption of market reforms during the Fujirimo administration by Peru in the 1990s classifies it as a country with one of the most open markets in South America. Today, Peru's progress is hindered by the absence of state authority and political institutions' weakness. Today, Peru's economy is subject to the demands of the internal market since it depends on export commodities. Peru's economic growth continues to weaken since it relies majorly on mining export (Kline & Wiarda, 2018). Mining activity in Peru leads to social conflicts where local communities have resorted to violence to stop the expansion of mining activities. Residents of Conga mines in late 2011 objected to the plan of the Newton mining company of investing in the Conga mines (Kline & Wiarda, 2018). The conflict resulted in five people's deaths, which forced the Humala government to declare a state of emergency. The Conga conflict is a prime example of the issues associated with the modernization process of Peru. Furthermore, the citizens of Peru lack faith in their political institution and distrust democracy itself. The relative political stability of Peru that has sustained its growth continues to weaken. The disintegrated national political parties in Peru serve as personal vehicles for individual candidates. New political organizations emerged in 2000 to contest Alberto Fujirimo(Kline & Wiarda, 2018). The APRA part remains important in Peru since it is the only functional party with only five seats. Moreover, all three presidents Alejandro Toledo, Ollanta Humala, and Garcia are under investigation for corruption. Peru has made peace and diversified its export with its neighbors. Peru needs political parties and civil societies that can build connections and articulate interests.
Question 3
Historically the United States had massive control over Panama. Panama's fifth president, Ricardo Martinelli, had close relations with the United States. Through the use of United States' military troops, Panama was able to accomplish democracy, which is presently evident in their political and electoral systems. The United States under President George Bush played a significant role in ending military rule in Panama (Kline & Wiarda, 2018). Furthermore, during the Great Depression experienced by the Panamanian economy, the United States assisted to remove Dr. Arias from power; who was head of the resentment movement. Also, during the regime of President Reagan, the United States showed concern for the political crisis in Panama. President Reagan imposed economic sanctions to combat general Noriega corrupt rule. Furthermore, the civilian authoritarian movements primarily led by doctor Arias was neutralized by the collaborative effort of urban forces and the United States. Civilian democratic rule was established through the help of the United States military. Presently Panama's government structure gives more power to the executive branch, unlike previously where the president was the prime ...