High Anxiety in the Andes: Bolivia and the Viability of Democracy

Issue Date April 2001
Volume 12
Issue 2
Page Numbers 6-16
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One key source of the weakness of democracy in the Andean region is the isolation of the “political class” from the rest of society. There are growing signs that this problem is becoming more serious in Bolivia.

About the Author

Laurence Whitehead is senior research fellow in politics at Nuffield College, Oxford University. His books include Latin America: A New Interpretation (2006).

View all work by Laurence Whitehead

Further Reading

Volume 8, Issue 1

Bolivia’s Silent Revolution

Read the full essay here.

Volume 12, Issue 2

High Anxiety in the Andes: Colombia’s Perpetual Quest for Peace

Despite recent progress in the government’s negotiations with rebel groups, Colombia’s problems remain acute: continued violence, growing human rights abuses, severe income inequality, and a depressed economy.

Volume 18, Issue 4

Latin America’s Indigenous Peoples

Where indigenous peoples constitute a smaller share of the electorate, their recent inclusion denotes a more generalized opening of the political system to excluded and vulnerable sectors of society.