For too many of us, Latin America exists "below the fold," an echo barely heard beyond the roar of U.S. economics, politics, and culture; the source of little more than dance steps, mesmerizing soccer, spicy food, and questionable politics. But Latin America has been a vital part of the global...

"Developing country politicians in a financially globalized world suffer a similar fate. Hoping to lift their countries to development's pinnacle, they toil against the .erce force of globalization. The repeatedly roll the policy boulder up the mountain. Hoping to please mercurial markets,...