Topic: Political Corruption in Latin America
Country: United Kingdom
Delegate Name: Hudson Yu
School: Williamston High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All United Kingdom position papers GLIMUN 2018 committees
An unfortunate legacy of historical colonization can be seen in the fragmented state of Latin America today. In the tumultuous 1900s, dictators were quick to exploit excessive government power and insufficient intergovernmental competition to rise to power and rule with iron fists. This trend has undermined political efficacy among the Latin American populace, increased crime rates, taught citizens to tolerate heavy-handed government retaliation, and crippled the prospect of economic prosperity. In light of scandals in nations such as Brazil, it is clear that now more than ever, this issue must be resolved.
International attempts to reconcile political stability in Latin America have occurred as recently as 2007 through the Organization of American States and Inter-American Development Bank sponsored anti-corruption initiative, which the UK is an observer state to. This group meets for a broad awareness-raising events with technical workshops, seminars, and dialogue from anti-bribery experts. It also sparks conversation between the business community aiming to prevent corruption in international transactions and internal activities.
While these measures taken by the OAS sound good enough on paper, the changes in the state of Latin American politics have been minimal. This is a testament to the pressing need for large scale, focused political reform, perhaps toward more federalist systems of government. An established framework with firm checks and balances will ensure that no branch gains unjust power, especially with an added emphasis on judiciary strength. With this in place, corrupt leaders will be prosecuted for their crimes and attempts to change state constitutions can be warily analyzed. Bureaucracy must also be simplified and streamlined, which will strengthen economies and raise public trust. This can be done through digitizing administrative processes, which will hold public officials accountable by leaving them less room to make arbitrary decisions without being caught. While these programs will not guarantee virtue, they will at least ensure accountability and chip away at the underlying cynicism of citizens disillusioned with corruption. In committee, the UK hopes to facilitate dialogue between countries with successful federalist systems and countries in need of reform in South America.
