FUJIMORI’S DECENIO: A CASE STUDY ON NEO-POPULISTIC LEADERSHIP AND ETHICS IN PERU
Open Access
Author:
Al-Moustafa, Robert
Area of Honors:
Communication Arts and Sciences
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Stephen Howard Browne, Thesis Supervisor Lori Ann Bedell, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Fujimori Alberto Fujimori Peru Lima Shining Path MRTA Montesinos Vladivideos Fujishock Autogolpe
Abstract:
Alberto Fujimori is one of the most polarizing figures in Peru; he is regarded as one of the most successful yet notorious presidents in the Incan nation’s history. A political outsider and career academic, Fujimori emerged from obscurity to win the presidential election in 1990. This thesis examines the various kinds of discourse used by Fujimori to handle crises; it is a case study on presidential crisis management and neo-populistic leadership. The first chapter will discuss the institutional factors, coupled with the porous living conditions in 1980s Peru, that enabled a political outsider to go from complete obscurity to President. The next chapter will center around Fujimori’s first term and will offer a discussion as to why the mass public was overwhelmingly supportive of this regime, despite its borderline unethical initiatives. The final chapter will discuss the factors, such as increased skepticism and corruption made public, that caused his regime to unravel as quickly as it arose.
