Dealing With Corruption in Latin America

Jorge Castañeda has an article in Foreign Affairs about how Latin Americans are getting tired of corruption and are holding their leaders more accountable. Two things come to mind, one he mentions explicitly and the other he doesn't.

First, he mentions the importance of international influence. This is not just CICIG, but also the U.S. press, which investigated Mexican corruption. I think this should get even more attention than it does now. There are multiple ways that international actors, including the U.S., U.N., and media, can contribute significantly to accountability.

Second, he only alludes to it, but corruption and accountability are not correlated to ideology--countries with scandals and/or court cases are all over the ideological map. I am already tired of the "post-populist," "post-pink tide," and the like, and the response to corruption demonstrates that ideology is often a distraction.