The purpose of this article is to develop an heterodox interpretation of the financial crises of the so called "emergent countries" occurred in the 90s. It argues that the asymmetries of the international monetary and financial system explain the greater vulnerability of these countries to those crises. Such asymmetries also give rise to two particularities that underlines their twin character (currency and bank crises) in the "emergent" countries: the dollarization and the indebtedness in foreign currencies.
financial crises; emergent countries; international monetary; financial system; center-periphery; capital flows