ABSTRACT
The leftist tide that appears to be sweeping the Americas south of the Rio Grande has given rise to controversies of old as well as new vintage, ranging from whether the policies are good or bad and for whom, how sustainable they are, and how this tide resembles or differs from the left or the populism of yesteryear. The main objective of this chapter is to analyze these questions and place them in the context of the larger debate which is the overall topic of the book.
