Stalemate and Opportunity in Latin America

Abstract

President Ronald Reagan’s legacy in Latin America and the Caribbean is an ironic one. He accomplished least in the area where he tried the hardest — Central America, and he made the most progress in the area where he did the least — democracy. He combatted Communism and polarization in the hemisphere, but he did so by polarizing the debate in the United States. He sought democracy in Central America, but presided over a constitutional scandal that brought his Presidency to the brink of disaster. He was proud and optimistic about democracy’s progress across South America at a time when the region grew increasingly pessimistic about its social and economic prospects.