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The Battle for Latin America's Soul
Yale University Press
January 2008
On Sale: January 3, 2008
400 pages
ISBN: 0300116160
EAN: 9780300116168
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
Latin America has often been condemned to failure. Neither poor enough to evoke Africaβs moral crusade, nor as explosively booming as India and China, it has largely been overlooked by the West. Yet this vast continent, home to half a billion people, the worldβs largest reserves of arable land, and 8.5 percent of global oil, is busily transforming its political and economic landscape. This book argues that rather than failing the test, Latin Americaβs efforts to build fairer and more prosperous societies make it one of the worldβs most vigorous laboratories for capitalist democracy. In many countriesβincluding Brazil, Chile and Mexicoβdemocratic leaders are laying the foundations for faster economic growth and more inclusive politics, as well as tackling deep-rooted problems of poverty, inequality, and social injustice. They face a new challenge from Hugo ChΓ‘vezβs oil-fuelled populism, and much is at stake. Failure will increase the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants to the United States and Europe, jeopardize stability in a region rich in oil and other strategic commodities, and threaten some of the world's most majestic natural environments. Drawing on Michael Reidβs many years of reporting from inside Latin Americaβs cities, presidential palaces, and shantytowns, the book provides a vivid, immediate, and informed account of a dynamic continent and its struggle to compete in a globalized world.
 Media BuzzDiane Rehm Show - NPR - January 28, 2008
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