{"id":7028,"date":"2020-01-05T23:51:51","date_gmt":"2020-01-06T04:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/latinamericasecurityreport.com\/?p=7028"},"modified":"2020-01-05T23:51:51","modified_gmt":"2020-01-06T04:51:51","slug":"unrest-in-latin-america-makes-authoritarianism-look-more-appealing-to-some","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinamericasecurityreport.com\/?p=7028","title":{"rendered":"Unrest in Latin America Makes Authoritarianism Look More Appealing to Some"},"content":{"rendered":"
A demonstrator protesting new austerity measures in Ecuador confronts armed police officers during clashes in Quito, Ecuador, Oct. 11, 2019. AP Photo\/Dolores Ochoa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Months of sustained, sometimes violent anti-government protest in South America may have increased popular support for authoritarianism.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the startling finding of a still-unpublished study I conducted using data from the AmericasBarometer<\/a>, a survey undertaken every two years in Latin American countries.<\/p>\n

Although the massive demonstrations<\/a> that have shaken Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Paraguay since late 2018<\/a> have distinct origins and impacts \u2013 from transportation prices to election fraud \u2013 there are some commonalities.<\/p>\n

All are an expression of deep frustration with the political status quo<\/a>, and many demonstrators cite corruption, poverty and economic inequality<\/a> as overlooked issues facing their nation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some South Americans, particularly young people and leftists<\/a>, see these mass protest movements as positive. In Chile, 80% of people surveyed in October 2019 said they approved of demonstrators\u2019 actions<\/a>. In more conservative Colombia, 34% did<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But the protests have also been polarizing<\/a>. For months, marches have disrupted people\u2019s day-to-day activities and turned capital cities into conflict zones, creating some resentment<\/a> \u2013 even fear that the social order is unraveling.<\/p>\n

Support for authoritarian government<\/strong><\/p>\n

These feelings may be leading more South Americans to see autocratic governance as a necessity for maintaining law and order, my study of the AmericasBarometer\u2019s survey data<\/a> suggests.<\/p>\n

The AmericasBarometer, which is part of the Latin American Public Opinion Project at Vanderbilt University, has documented a relationship between support for protests and autocratic tolerance for years.<\/p>\n

In 2012, their surveys<\/a> found that 30% of Latin Americans disapprove of \u201cpeople conducting peaceful protests.\u201d That group was 9% more likely than others to agree that the country needs \u201ca strong leader who does not have to be elected by the vote of the people.\u201d<\/p>\n