Friday, February 12, 2010

Crime and Support for Coups in Latin America

Orlando Pérez, "Crime and Support for Coups in Latin America." Latin American Public Opinion Project "Insights" Series n. 32 (2009).

Using public opinion data, Pérez shows the troubling connection between the rise of violent crime (especially homicides) in Latin America and growing support for coups.

We find that individuals living in large cities, with lower levels of wealth, less than university education and women are more supportive of military coups. These results parallel those found by José Miguel Cruz (2009) reported in an earlier Insights series, for perceptions of insecurity. The conclusion to be drawn is that individuals most affected by levels of insecurity also are most prone to support extreme measures, such as a coup, to combat crime.

He also looks at the fact that coups are more likely when citizens trust their military just as crime is becoming worse.  This is particularly relevant at a time when, for example, the Mexican military is deeply involved in domestic law enforcement.  In fact, there has even been debate in Argentina in doing the same.

This is an old, old debate.  And the answer does not change--it is a very dangerous game.

2 comments:

Anonymous,  12:53 PM  

it;'s troubling but it's perfectly reasonable. People value security. That's why Uribe is so popular. If democracy won't give the security they will look for it somewhere else.

Defensores de Democracia 9:05 AM  

But that security may end up in Dictatorship, Despotism and Great Demagoguery.

That is what is happening in Colombia with the DemiGod Alvaro Uribe, a guy that rules without the Legislative Branch and that constantly attacks the judges of the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court.

Colombia is in a very delicate inflexion point or turning point of History.

Will it be ruled in the future by Uribe ??, a Demagogue from the right, the same as Chavez ( that is a demagogue from the left ).

Will Colombia be a Fascist Country ?? ... With a vitalicious president like Francisco Franco or like Augusto Pinochet that attempted to be eternal in power ??

These guys don't care about the Poor Population, they are only enriching their coffers and bank accounts in Switzerland, like that pair that rules Argentina.

But there is some little light of hope, and the separation of powers ( Montesquieu ) may win in Colombia and frustrate the DemiGod and Vitalicious Genius that rules with a pocket congress of criminals ( paracos and narcos ) and delinquents.

I do not remember well but Thomas Jefferson said something condemnatory about presidents that staty very long in power in a Republic.

"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it always to be kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all. I like a little rebellion now and then. It is like a storm in the Atmosphere. -Thomas Jefferson, letter to Abigail Adams, 1787

"Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods." - H.L. Mencken

"Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the government's purposes are beneficient... The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding."- Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis.

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