Development under scrutiny: environment, geopolitics and a reimagination of Latin America

Abstract

This chapter aims to analyse the connections between geopolitics, the environment, and development. A relevant perspective on this theme is from ‘environmental geopolitics,’ used to identify hidden complexities in relations portrayed as dominant. This position is inspired mainly by ‘critical geopolitics,’ going beyond states and material, spatial practices, with a focus on ‘representational spaces’ and ‘imagined geographies.’ From that point of view, ‘State’ and ‘capitalism’ are regarded as involved in a neo-liberal discourse, justifying exploitation of ‘cheap nature’ and ‘cheap human labour.’ This chapter deepens into the Latin American debate on these issues, where ‘development has become associated with ‘colonialist modernity’ and ‘predatory neo-liberalism,’ promoting patriarchal and hierarchical states without considering environmental or social dimensions. Our chapter contends that such a view of ‘development’ can be deconstructed and reimagined by engaging with other forms of Latin American imaginaries derived from different disciplines. Our chapter addresses a twofold integration based on ‘regionalist,’ ‘developmental,’ ‘nationalist,’ and geopolitical perspectives. A challenge of the twenty-first century is to find a balance between geopolitical and developmental projections alongside structural concerns related to environmental, ethnic, and gender issues.