FIGURE 3.18 Photo Essay: Power and Politics in Middle and South America An expansion of political freedoms is well under way in Middle and South America. Decades of elite and military rule, combined with rampant corruption, have led to popular revolutionary movements that have used both force and elections to take control of the government. In the worst cases, wars and brutal repression by governments and by militants have cost citizens many political freedoms. The drug trade has also emerged as a major obstacle, with huge amounts of illicit cash being used to pay off elected officials, civil servants, police forces, and the military. Nevertheless, in the region as a whole, there has been a dramatic expansion of political freedom and a decline in violence in recent decades. 3.18a Courtesy Shaul Schwarz/Getty Images, 3.18b Courtesy Luis Ramirez/AFP/Getty Images, 3.18c Courtesy Luis Gonzalo Vinagre Solans/FlickrVision/Getty Images