CAUDILLOS OF LATIN AMERICA
“WITH VENEZUELA NOW A BASKET CASE DESPITE POSSESSING THE WORLD’S LARGEST OIL RESERVES, IT BEGS THE QUESTION: HOW IS IT THAT BOLÍVAR’S REVOLUTION, WITH ITS ENORMOUS ACHIEVEMENTS, LEFT A BITTER LEGACY FOR A WHOLE CONTINENT?”
Among the many honours festooned over his memory, including recognition as a founding father comparable to George Washington, Simon Bolívar stands as the finest example of that rare political creature – the caudillo. Possessed by a vision for a new order, Bolívar used his martial prowess and personal magnetism to impose his will on half a dozen countries. Therein lies the problem, for the numerous uniformed dictators and strongmen who followed in his wake have accomplished little for Latin America in the last 200 years,
