ABSTRACT
The Relationship between the United States (US) and Albert Fujimori’s Peru was a test of US policy priorities. The US response to the Fujimori government’s rigged 2000 elections was uncommonly bland. Although there is accordingly a logical interpretation of US officials’ toleration of the Fujimori government’s abuses, ultimately US policy toward the Fujimori government indicated a disturbing disregard for democratic principles. The Fujimori government’s relentless pursuit of power, and many key Peruvian actors’ toleration of its abuses, led to the test of policy priorities facing the US government in 2000. Although most Peruvians placed the blame for the continuation of the Fujimori government primarily on themselves, there was also a certain bitterness and suspicion as they considered the gap between US rhetoric and US policy. US disregard for democratic principles in Peru could be understood as a reflection of a US cultural tradition that persisted despite a contrary US rhetoric.
