Curiously, many of the young democracies born after the ignominy of the right-wing military regimes of the 1970’s and 1980’s define themselves according to Cuba’s long-lasting communist dictatorship. Tempted by the idea of endless re-election and absolute authority, Bolivia’s Evo Morales, Ecuador’s Rafael Correa, Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega, and Argentina’s Cristina Fernández de Kirchner all indulge and support each other, with the economically and ideologically powerful Venezuela playing an important synthesizing role.