Los '90

In Los '90: Otro traspié de Luz del Día en Latinoamérica, Dr. Armando P. Ribas offers a brilliant and timely critique of the political class in Latin America. Focusing on the pivotal decade of the 1990s, he explores why the initial promise of administrative rationality and economic openness ultimately devolved into increased public spending, corruption, and the persistent scapegoating of external forces.

Ribas acts as a modern echo of Juan Bautista Alberdi, utilizing the concept of "Luz del Día" (Truth) to illuminate the recurring "miracle" of how populist leaders continue to convince the masses with fantastic yet counterproductive discourses. He argues that those who proclaim themselves defenders of the poor are often the most effective at widening the gap between them and the wealthy.

The book strings together the principles of freedom that underpinned the U.S. Constitution of 1787 and the Argentine Constitution of 1853, exposing the philosophical misunderstandings that allowed the latter to become a "dead letter." Ribas provides an indispensable guide to understanding the subtle intellectual traps—disguised as pragmatism or idealism—that the "political industry" sets for well-meaning citizens.

Spanning topics from the fall of the Berlin Wall and the "Red Shadow" of Marxist influence to bimonetary systems and the IMF, this collection of articles is an essential resource for Political Science, Economics, and Latin American History courses at the graduate level.