Trump Embraces Caudillo Politics as Latin America Shuns It
*This is an opinion piece, written by Diego Von Vacano, an associate professor of political science at Texas A&M University. Vacano writes that the Trump figure is well known to many U.S. Latinos and Latino immigrants – he mirrors the typical Latin American caudillo, or strongman. “Populism, authoritarianism, personalism, machismo, racialism, and caudillismo — or strongman rule,” he writes,” have been historically seen as ills almost inherent to Latin American political culture.” VL
By Diego Von Vacano, NBC News (6 minute read)
For over two hundred years, the United States has defined itself, to a significant extent, in opposition to the rest of the Americas. Appropriating the term “America,” it has come to be seen as a beacon of democracy, freedom, and equality, in contrast to its neighbors to the South for their chaotic political traditions. Populism, authoritarianism, personalism, machismo, racialism, and caudillismo — or strongman rule — have been historically seen as ills almost inherent to Latin American political culture.
With the election of Donald Trump, we can now see that the U.S. is indeed part of the Americas as a whole and shares in those pathologies. And while Latin America has been on a path to ever-greater democratization for about sixteen years, prospects for democracy in the U.S. are more gloomy.
The roles have been reversed, and it is perhaps up to Latino immigrants to teach the U.S. about deepening democratization.
When Latin American politics is discussed, the term ‘populism’ is the first concept that pops up in a lot of people’s minds. Getulio Vargas of Brazil and especially Juan Domingo Perón of Argentina are the archetypal cases from the 1950s.
[Photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr]
