Latin America's Magical Liberalism

In March 1990, at Lima's luxurious and well-guarded El Pueblo resort, novelist Mario Vargas Llosa played host to a conference of conservative intellectuals and politicians from Peru and around the world. The meeting, dubbed the "World Encounter for Liberty," was part of Vargas Llosa's campaign for Peru's presidency, which he undertook with the quixotic mission of bringing European-style liberalism to his unfortunate country. Vargas Llosa could persuade few of his friends abroad to travel to Peru. Octavio Paz sent a videotaped speech; Lech Walesa sent only regrets. The most celebrated participant was the French writer Jean-François Revel. About 500 Peruvian businessmen, Vargas Llosa's supporters, spent the weekend listening to panelists celebrate the fall of Leninism. It was a Woodstock for the Right-until the Chileans began to speak.