Latin America: Economy and Society

Rodolfo Soriano Núñez, author of México desde fuera, has resumed updates of his English-language blog Social Change In Latin America, now retitled Latin America: Economy and Society. This is a good information resource, for while one may occasionally find oneself at variance with Rodolfo's take on current events, it is quite obvious that he has a far-reaching grasp of the history and sociology of the region, surpassing much of the discussion of Latin-American society and politics that's currently available in the blogosphere. His latest post concerns today's presidential election in Peru, which is a run-off between Alan García and the Chávez-style populist Ollanta Humala. As RSN points out,

the election has been deeply affected by Venezuelan interventionism and, strangely enough, by the ability of García to gather unexpected expressions of support from those who, few years ago, were their fiercest critics.

Public figures like Mario Vargas Llosa, who lost in a similar runoff to Alberto Fujimori back in 1990, and many others have expressed, one way or the other, their support for the former President García.

The fact that they are doing so is not so much an expression of belief in García’s proposals or because of “happy memories” associated with his presidential term. Quite the opposite. They express one of Peru's most dramatic and painful paradoxes.

Read the whole thing, both for its analysis of Peruvian democracy and for its personal exploration of the often complex and trans-national links between Latin American politics, literature and society.

See also: Migrating to Reality