286 SPECIALPROVIDENCEOnlyoneLatinAmericancountry-Cuba--enteredthetwenty-first
centuryundera formallydictatorialregime,andBrazil,Argentina,and
Chileenjoyedunprecedentedlevelsofdemocraticstability.Aprocessof
peacefultransitionfromone-partyruleinMexicowaswellunderway,
andthestrife-tornrepublicsofCentralAmericaalsoseemedtobeemerg-
ingfroma decadeofcivilwaranddictatorship.
IntheFarEast,Taiwanwitnessedthefirstpeacefultransferofpower
fromonepartytoanotherinthehistoryofChinesepolitics.SouthKorea
alsowitnesseda peacefultransferofpowerthroughelections.Thepattern
ofcoupanddictatorshipseemedbrokenforeverinThailand.Ademo-
cratic revolutionbroughtdramaticchangeto Indonesia.Ademocratic
oppositionsurvived thetransferofpowerinHongKong,andstrong
democraticmovementsforchangewerevisibleinMalaysiaandMyanmar.
WhiletheAfricanrecordwasmorecheckered,thestabilityofSouth
Africa'smultiracialdemocracycontinuedtopointthewaytoabrighter
futureforthecontinent.Mandela'sgrowingstatureasaninternational
leaderandelderstatesmangaveAfricaa democraticheroofthestatureof
WashingtonandGandhi,andforeverdemolishedthecanardthatdemoc-
racywascontrarytothegeniusofAfricansociety.
Thelistofnewandemergingdemocraciesonlyhintsatthescopeof
Wilsonianprogressduringthe1990S.Despitethetensionsthatdevel-
opedlaterbetweenRussia,China,andtheUnitedStates,theSecurity
Councilwasa far moreeffectiveinstitutioninthe1990Sthanduring
theColdWar.Therisinginfluenceinmanycountriesofcivilsociety
bothinternationallyandinnationalpoliticscouldnotbeignored.The
statusofwomenanditsimportanceinruraldevelopment,povertyreduc-
tion,andpopulationcontrolbecamea fixedandperhapspermanentfea-
tureoftheinternationaldevelopmentagenda.Britain'sarrestanddeten-
tionofPinochetseta newandimportantprecedentininternationallaw,
evenifheultimatelyescapedtrialinSpainongroundsofpoorhealth.
Thisbriefsummary,whichonlytouchesonWilsonianachievement
inthepost-ColdWarperiod,isstillenoughtoestablishthatWilsonian
activismintheninetiescontributedto importantandlastingchange.
Itwas,byanyreasonablemeasure,astunningachievementanda major
triumph.
NeverthelesstheendofthecenturysawWilsoniansina periodof
retrenchment,reconsideration,andevenretreat.AswithHamiltonians,
thesuccessesofWilsonianpolicyabroaddidnotstrengthenWilsonian
influenceathome.Thereseemtobethreemajorreasonsforthis.Inthe