New Alignments in Latin America

Latin America is about to enter a new phase of its history that may be more important than either the decade of Castroism or the earlier period when middle-class parties were predominant. The tendency of which I speak is subterranean, noticeable only the last few years, and just beginning to flower. Characteristic of this new phase is the coming together of social groups which, though on the surface quite different, have common interests and conceptions:

Young officers and a few of the older generals. At one time, say a few decades ago, the young officers believed that they could restore the prestige of the armed forces by adopting a strictly constitutional, noninterventionist stance. But now it has become clear to them that the army in Latin America is so strongly identified as policeman for the traditional oligarchy that more stringent measures are needed. Democracy as understood in Latin America—formal democracy limited to elections and pretty much unrelated to ...