Prof. Ko: Crisis in Peru Signals an 'Emerging Power' of People and Protests
November 23, 2020
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Ñusta Carranza Ko, assistant professor in The University of Baltimore's School of Public and International Affairs and a specialist in human rights and transitional justice processes in Latin America and East Asia, writes in The Washington Post that the recent social unrest in Peru—a constitutional crisis that has included the downfall of two presidents in two weeks as well as massive protests in Peru ands around the world—is the result of "decades of corruption and authoritarian governance."
Ko writes that Peru's younger generation appears to be unwilling to accept this state of affairs. Earlier this month, when a politician connected to the military led an effort to oust the nation's president on unproven charges, the people "were ready to show up and speak up in their efforts to break with Peru's corrupt past." Meanwhile, the nation is reeling from a serious outbreak of coronovirus—the 12th highest infection rate in the world.
Ko describes a lingering history of turmoil in the South American nation of 32 million, and how a series of political crises has sparked an international demand for stability.
"The old political circles of power continue to remain influential in Peruvian politics," Ko writes. "However, the candidates will no doubt have to consider the emerging power of Peru's youths and their success in removing an interim president from office."
Read Prof. Ko's op-ed in The Washington Post.
Learn more about Prof. Ñusta Carranza Ko and the School of Public and International Affairs, part of The University of Baltimore's College of Public Affairs.