Will Democracy Survive Trump’s Populism? Latin America May Tell Us
Will Donald J. Trump follow the populist script for concentrating power by cracking down on critics? Or are the foundations of American democracy and the institutions of civil society strong enough to resist such an action? For answers, Americans should take a look at Latin America, where, starting in the 1940s, elected populists undermined democracy.
Populism is not an ideology but a strategy to get to power and to govern. Two of Latin America’s most influential populists, Juan Perón of Argentina and Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, saw politics as a Manichaean confrontation between two antagonistic camps, just as Mr. Trump does.… Seguir leyendo »