Worldcrunch
Today, Venezuela is barely recognizable as the prosperous and liberal state of the late 20th century that gave refuge to regional dissidents, thanks to the resolve of the late Carlos Andrés Pérez — the “roguish” president whose commitment to democracy has put his socialist successors to shame.
“Patricio Aylwin, president of the peaceful transition to democracy, died,” reads Wednesday’s front page of the Chilean establishment newspaper El Mercurio. The former head of state (1990-1994) died Tuesday in his Santiago home surrounded by his family. He was 97. Aylwin, a law professor and leader of the centrist Christian Democratic Party for over half […]