The ABC presidents : conversations and correspondence with the presidents of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile

Even a casual observer can see that Argentina is in dire straits. As interim president follows interim president in the wake of rioting, the country cannot meet its foreign debt and has devalued its currency. The economy is falling, unemployment is high, and social services are in trouble. Because of large budgetary deficits, international monetary organisations have withheld loans and the Argentine government imposed restrictions on bank withdrawals to prevent a catastrophic run on currency. Argentina may yet pull itself from the abyss over which it teeters, but the road back will be neither quick nor painless. This book provides a comprehensive look at Argentina, its growth as a nation, and its current predicament.

Robert Alexander, a long-time observer of Latin American politics and economics, has been an active correspondent with the key figures of the region for decades. In this volume, he provides interview transcripts and letters from nearly a score of the presidents of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. With some of the correspondence and interviews spread over a considerable length of time, the shifting views and attitudes as well as the comments on other key players makes for fascinating insights into the politics of change in Latin America.

Beginning with an introduction placing the various presidents in the context of their roles in the history of their respective countries, Alexander then presents materials dealing with and by the presidents of Argentina, then Brazil, and finally Chile. A selected bibliography provides guidance on the major writings on the figures covered, and a general subject index helps to point readers to the numerous interconnections contacted in the volume. Essential reading for students of 20th-century Latin American affairs, political, social, and economic.

Alexander provides interview transcripts and letters from nearly a score of the presidents of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile--offering fascinating insights into the politics of change in Latin America.