Unfortunately many LatAm countries are democracies by the consent of the military. This is a hard concept for Americans to understand or to accept.
On January 23, 1958 the Venezuelan dictator, Marcos Perez Jimenez, was ousted by a coup led by the Venezuelan navy and a provisional government called for democratic elections won by the reformed Communist, converted to Social Democrat, Romulo Betancourt. At some point he called a meeting of the democratic leaders and asked the question, “¿Who is our most dangerous enemy?” After everyone expressed his opinion Betancourt replied, “No, it’s the military. We have to make sure to keep them happy in their barracks.” They instituted a policy called something like “Plan Arepa.”
Maybe that’s why America has programs like the F-35…
When the democratic economy collapsed four decades later, the people elected a Messiah, a Comandante, Hugo Chavez, a charismatic leader loved by his subordinates. Lots of my middle class friends expressed regrets for having voted for Chavez. They though he would bring back good times like the ousted dictator, Marcos Perez Jimenez, had done five decades earlier.
The Captain