A generation of populist leaders with strong personalities has defined Latin American politics in the 21st century. BBC correspondent Will Grant has been working in the region since 2007, based in Venezuela, Mexico and Cuba, in which time he has borne witness to the political movements collectively painted as the ‘Pink Tide’. In his new book, Populista: The Rise of Latin America’s 21st Century Strongman, he pieces together the stories of Hugo Chávez’s Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela, Luis Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva in Brazil, Bolivia’s Movimiento al Socialismo under Evo Morales, Rafael Correa over in Ecuador, Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua and the Cuban regime of Fidel Castro. In this interview, Will and John discuss Chávez’s rambling cadenas on state television, caudillismo in the 21st century, how commodity prices underpinned progress under Pink Tide governments and the countries these leaders ultimately left behind.

Follow Will on Twitter: @will__grant

Buy ¡Populista! here: https://headofzeus.com/books/9781789543957

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