Throughout the twenties century petroleum has played a prominent and occasionally a decisive role in Mexico's political and economic development, and the 1970s and early 1980s were no exception. Mexico was profoundly shaken by the oil-market disturbances that rocked the world economy during that...

Latin America is volatile, about two or three times as volatile as the industrial economies , and more volatile than any region other than Africa and the Middle East. Latin America's access to international financial markets is sporadic, and often disappears just when it would be most valuable....