Latin America's populist leaders are sharing hard times

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Two events at the opposite ends of Latin America last Sunday seemed liked isolated events. But Argentine voters' stinging rejection of President Cristina Fernandez and her husband Nestor Kirchner and the political infighting that prompted the overthrow of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya both reflect tough times for Latin America's leftist-oriented populist governments. Until now, a bloc of Latin American nations led by Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and consisting of Honduras, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Bolivia had been able to trumpet their political and economic success under what Chavez calls "21st Century Socialism." The formal name for their economic alliance is the Bolivarian Alliance for the People of Our Americas. Argentina, which prospered from 2003-07 under Nestor Kirchner, has had an unofficial... [read full story]                    

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