AbstractThe quality of Latin American democracy is threatened by elected presidents who concentrate power in the executive branch of government, the political influence of the armed forces, the weakness of the rule of law and judicial independence, the erosion of parties and representative institutions, and the persistence of long-standing patterns of violence and social exclusion. These threats largely arise from the tension—especially acute in Latin America due to certain structural, cultural, and institutional conditions—between the separation of powers and democracy. Although the post-Cold War international environment contributed to the prevention of a return to authoritarian rule, efforts by the international community to promote and defend democracy are constrained by the impossibility of fostering respect for the separation of powers without impinging upon national sovereignty. The global war on terrorism will diminish the will to question domestic practices that violate democracy while encouragin...