Making the Case for Democratic, Limited Government and Economic Liberty in the Americas

This work is derived from an address given by the author to the InterAmerican Institute for Democracy on December 4, 2024, in Miami, Florida.

In discussing the status of political and economic freedom in Latin America, my thoughts go to the consolidation of power of criminal dictatorships in Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba, the deterioration of democracies in Honduras, Bolivia, and Peru, and the movement toward a radicalized party dominated state in Mexico.  Globally, I reflect on the collaboration of a range of illiberal regimes, including Russia and Iran, fueled by Chinese money and financing vehicles, united only by a common interest in escaping responsibility to the rules based international order. 

In the economic arena, I’m moved by the remarkable turnaround of Argentina, based on painful but sound policies, showcasing the message of its president Javier Milei, that it is the individual, secure in liberty and the fruits of their labor—and not the state–that is the key to innovation and the generation of value.

It’s hard to think of a time that democracy in Latin America and the world has been so fervently fought for, yet so much at risk.

It is also hard to recall when economic freedom and individual initiative were so fundamental, yet so undermined by governments on both the right and left, and by the technology trends of our times.

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