Sunday’s presidential election in Colombia was a shocker. Two utterly nonestablishment candidates won the top spots and will face each other in a runoff on June 19. The front-runner is a one-time leftist guerrilla who won’t disavow his past and who vows to launch a radical economic upheaval. His opponent is an eccentric populist who was considered a fringe contender almost until the election.
What’s happening in Colombia and in numerous other countries, including the U.S., reflects voters’ deep dissatisfaction with current approaches to the economy. No matter the party label, incumbent governments everywhere are seen as not being able to “deliver the goods.”
Exacerbating this malignant mood is the fear that what had been a largely peaceful world is unraveling.
On the economic front, almost all leaders refuse to embrace time-proven policies of growth.