LATIN AMERICA-Rigging in Backyard

LATIN AMERICA SPEAK to anyone in the US State Department of free and fair elections in Latin America and he raises his eyebrows. This US scepticism derives not just from the general but somewhat unjustified belief that Latin Americans are by temperament just not capable of holding free and fair elections. It derives partly at least from US vested interest in keeping in power the regimes which are not only favourably disposed to them but which at the same time accept US hegemony in the area. And as it happens, not unnaturally, regimes that qualify for US approval are seldom democratic, using the word in the strict Western sense. How could such regimes submit themselves to *free and fair elections'?