Orlando J. Pérez is Professor of Political Science and Director, Cultural and Global Studies Program at Central Michigan University. He teaches courses in comparative politics, Latin American politics and U.S.-Latin American relations. He is the author of Political Culture in Panama: Democracy after Invasion, co-editor of Latin American Democracy: Emerging Reality or Endangered Species?, and editor of Post-Invasion Panama: The Challenges of Democratization in the New World Order. His articles have appeared in the The Latin Americanist, Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs, Political Science Quarterly, Journal of Political and Military Sociology and Latin American Journal of Public Opinion. He is a member of the Scientific Support Group for the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) at Vanderbilt University and directs the AmericasBarometer survey in Panama.