Los bancos comerciales internacionales y las crisis de deuda externa en América Latina : una perspectiva histórica a la luz de la crisis de los ochenta

Authors

  • María Werlau

Abstract

This paper offers a historical account and a detailed analysis of the incubation, development and outcome of the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s. The second part provides a historical perspective based on legal precedents and international law, as well as an account of various historical cases of non-compliance and repudiation of international financial obligations. Further on, the elements of the international financial system and the behavior and structure of international commercial banks that explain the trend towards the external debt crisis are analyzed, with particular emphasis on the one that occurred in the eighties. Finally, recommendations are made to strengthen the international financial system at various levels to avoid major crises in the future.

Keywords:

Latin America, Debt Crisis, External Debt, International Financial System, International Law

Author Biography

María Werlau

Nació en Cuba y emigró muy pequeña a Estados Unidos, donde obtuvo su licenciatura en foreign service en Georgetown University; entre 1981 y 1985 fue ejecutiva corporativa para Chase Manhattan Bank en Puerto Rico y Venezuela; En Chile obtuvo el grado de magíster en estudios internacionales de la Universidad de Chile. En 1993 regresó a Estados Unidos donde continúa al mando de Orbis, una empresa de asesoría y servicios profesionales que fundó en Chile.