This volume analyzes one of the most volatile regions in Latin America—the Andean states of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Crises in these countries during the last twenty-five years have endangered Latin America’s democracies and strained their relations with the United States. The contributors examine the histories, politics and cultures of the Andean nations and argue that, due to their shared history and modern circumstances, these countries are suffering a shared crisis of deteriorating relations between state and society best understood in regional terms. The solutions to these problems will have profound implications for the region and its future relations with the world. Buy from Amazon