There is no more appropriate place in the contemporary world to test Kantian "neo-idealism" than Latin America. This concept assumes that when the demand for democratization is sufficiently intense and broad, states will be forced to act differently from the rest of them. They are therefore less likely to use - or even threaten - gun violence, and are more likely to get involved in law-abiding businesses and cooperatives. We argue that from a neo-idealist perspective, the lessons from the Southern Cone are optimistic, but also ambiguous. The transition from authoritarian to democratic regimes has made a great difference in interstate relations within the subregion, although it would certainly be premature to conclude that democratization has definitely diminished the threat of the use of armed violence to resolve interstate conflicts in this part of the world.
Keywords:
Latin America, Southern Cone, Idealism, Political Regimes, Cooperation
Author Biography
Philippe C. Schmitter, Universidad de Standford
Prestigioso especialista estadounidense en asuntos internacionales y latinoamericanos. Autor de numerosas obras en estos campos, se encuentra actualmente afiliado a la Universidad de Standford.
Schmitter, P. C. (1989). Idealismo, cambio de régimen y cooperación regional : lecciones del Cono Sur de América Latina. Estudios Internacionales, 22(85), p. 78–130. https://doi.org/10.5354/0719-3769.1989.16506
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