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07/23/2004:

"Intervention: U.S. Foreign Policy Toward Haiti, Venezuela and Cuba"

As economies stagnate and governments fail to deliver, confidence in democratic politics is increasingly fragile. While last October's annual "Latinobarómetro" poll found 64 percent of Latin Americans agreeing that "democracy is the better government system," 52 percent also responded affirmatively to the statement, "I would not mind a non-democratic government."

As several Latin American nations have elected populist presidents who don't march in lockstep with Washington, U.S. support for democracy also looks shakier than it has in years. Bush administration officials are proposing increased military assistance to counterbalance what they call "radical populism." Military aid levels are increasing region-wide, while economic aid--especially programs to shore up democratic institutions--is set to decline by 10 percent between 2003 and 2005.

Full Article : americas.org