ABSTRACT
Latin America exhibits greater continuity than any other region. While the severity of the coronavirus pandemic started to decrease in Latin America amid an impressive vaccine roll-out in the second half of 2021, the regional outlook remained fraught with risks. Although GDP rebounded by 6.8% in 2021, endemic socio-economic and institutional fragilities appeared to have massively deteriorated against a backdrop of heightened political volatility, weakened macroeconomic fundamentals and rising insecurity. The 1833 constitution consolidated centralised conservative power and ushered in several decades of relative political stability and economic growth, within a context of low popular participation and restricted voting. The first three decades of the twentieth century were affected by various degrees of political instability and social unrest. Although the US has acknowledged the geopolitical rivalry it has with China in the region, it has also not opposed it and has openly stated that Chinese economic involvement is beneficial insofar as it serves development needs.
