By Marcela Sanchez
Special to washingtonpost.com

WASHINGTON -- What do a retired soccer player, an Iraq War protester, a self-styled revolutionary and the leader of the free world have in common? All are expected to be in Mar del Plata, Argentina, for the fourth Summit of the Americas this week and none of them will have to answer the most pressing of questions: How are people in Latin America going to buy refrigerators?

Retired Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona will be on the streets of the beach resort town leading protesters whose anti-Bush fervor he has fueled on his popular talk show, "a Noche del 10." Cindy Sheehan will join him, demonstrating against the war in Iraq that took the life of her son. She is scheduled to speak at an anti-summit gathering known as the People's Summit. Sheehan will be followed at the podium by none other than Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who no doubt will rail against the corrosive effects of U.S. imperialism in Latin America and praise his 21st century socialist revolution.

Of course, the main object of their ire, President Bush, is expected to be there as well. And although he will be well isolated from the less-hospitable elements, he and his officials will be tempted to counter their critics, especially Chavez, and warn regional neighbors once again that Chavez must be contained.

As titillating as these activities on the sidelines of the summit may become, they will only serve to distract from the popular concerns that bring together the 34 elected leaders of the Americas -- namely, to strengthen democracy and reduce poverty through job creation.

Indeed, the average Latin American is much less concerned with protesting against Washington, the war or Bush than in keeping his job and seeing his economic situation improve. More than in a battle of ideas, he or she is engaged in a day-to-day struggle to succeed in a democratic system.

New economic, social and political experiments, like the kind Chavez is pushing, are not gaining a foothold in Latin America. After 10 years of polling, the Chilean firm Latinobarometro concluded last week that Latin Americans are sold on democracy as a way of life. And even though in the last three years popular approval of democracy has not budged from 53 percent, Latin Americans are not actively seeking out alternatives. In fact a large majority say market economies (63 percent) and the private sector (59 percent) are what will help their countries develop.

As Marta Lagos, head of Latinobarometro put it, "people in Latin America are no longer interested in buying the dreams offered by extreme ideologies.'" Rather, she said, "they want to buy refrigerators."

More than the Iraq war, it is Bush's failure to recognize the maturation of democracy south of the Rio Grande that has increased popular disapproval. Regional democracies, most of them in their third decade of existence, have grown beyond the simplicity of left-right, either-or choices. Still, Bush's war against terror and his obsession with Chavez and Cuban leader Fidel Castro suggest to Latin Americans that his administration's frame of reference is still purely ideological and unevolved.

The current challenges are just as important as those faced during the Cold War, but they are different in a way that should be cherished by Washington. Now, citizens who relish the freedoms of open societies and accept the responsibilities of living in a democracy are making their voices heard and are demanding changes -- within the current democratic framework -- that put new pressures on elected leaders.

Over the next 12 months there will be presidential elections in 12 countries in the region. Despite a persistent focus in Washington on the possibility that those elections would yield a region veering further to the left, the more accurate description of the outcome is that the majority of those elected will be pragmatic democrats. Some may tap anti-American sentiment to get elected, but most are aware that no amount of rhetoric would substitute for solutions to real demands once they are in office.

According to Latinobarometro's latest poll, almost half of Latin Americans believe they will be better off in just 12 months. That means a lot more pressure for current and newly elected leaders to find ways to convince those people that they are moving in the right direction -- that it is getting easier to buy that new refrigerator. And with that they will be doing more to further democracy in the region than those who will steal the headlines in Mar del Plata this weekend.

Marcela Sanchez's e-mail address is desdewash@washpost.com.