Politics of Latin America, explores both the evolution and the current state of the political scene in Latin America. Distinguishing itself from more traditional works on Latin American politics, this text demonstrates a nuanced sensitivity to the use and abuse of power and the importance ofsocial conditions, gender, race, globalization, and political economy. The first section of the book presents relevant information about the region's geographic setting, history, economics, society, people, and religion, setting the stage for a more detailed analysis of the politics,democratization, political culture, political movements, and revolution in Latin America. The second part of the book consists of carefully constructed case studies of ten representative Latin American nations: Guatemala (Susanne Jonas), Mexico (Nora Hamilton), Cuba (Prevost), Brazil (Wilber AlbertChaffee), Argentina (Aldo C. Vacs), Chile (Eduardo Silva), Venezuela (Daniel Hellinger), Colombia (John C. Dugas), and Nicaragua (Prevost and Vanden), and new to this edition: Bolivia (Waltarud Morales). Each case study traces the historical development of key political actors and institutions,analyzing contemporary power configurations.