Essay --

Political systems in Latin American countries have been ever-changing. Long periods of dictatorship were often followed by long periods of democracy in an on-going cycle that is one, if not the main reason as to why Latin American countries have not been able to develop quickly. Political instability has affected many aspects in countries such as Peru and Argentina, one of these aspects is freedom of the press. Freedom of the press has played a key role in Latin America, serving not only as a voice for the people, but as a trail of evidence for some of the most heinous crimes committed throughout the Cold War and post-Cold War eras. Many people have been punished and even died all in the struggle to freely criticize political, economic, or even religious issues in their own countries. Freedom of the press, a right that should always be preserved, has often dwindled in the light of dictatorships and governments that do not take criticism lightly. Freedom of the press is called by many a â€Å"negative† freedom or liberty. While positive freedoms are described as rights that allow people to take action about their own lives, negative freedoms are rights that no other person or entity is allowed to put constraints on. The government is not allowed to put obstacles on the people’s rights to communicate their sentiments. Nations were built under the principle of democracy, where people are granted the liberty to express and publish their criticisms and where it is the people who decide who stays on top and who leads them. For Peruvians and Argentineans, it has been a constant struggle to maintain this right. Through and after the Cold War, freedom of the press was easily taken away by oppressive governments, which is why freedom of the pr... ... the simple lack of it at times. The conclusion is simple: a country with no press and with no freedom for its citizens to express their opinions or discontent is a country with no democratic values. In the aftermath of the Cold War and the era of dictatorships, freedom of the press has taken its time to flourish once again. Slowly, Latin American countries such as Peru and Argentina have managed to recover and to trust the press as they previously had. It seems like this time around however, democracy has become a permanent feature in the political systems, and will be for a long time. Even though both of these countries are only partially-free at the moment, one hopes the future is a bright one. For too long the story reflected by the freedom of the press in Latin America has been the story of oppression and disillusionment, it is time for the story to change.