Maritime geopolitics in Latin America

Abstract

Latin American conflicts have been proliferating in recent years, and have been aggravated by a regionwide trend towards militarization. Particularly ominous is the worsening of some traditional disputes as well as the emergence of new disputes whose causes have been multifaceted and interlocking. Since conflicts have become increasingly disruptive of regional order and even threaten to weaken further the already precarious global order, it is imperative to understand the dynamics of these conflicts and the geopolitical thinking underlying many of them. Maritime geopolitics in Latin America are distinctive both in general terms and more specifically as expressed in the subregional contexts of the Caribbean Basin and South America. The conflicts themselves are distinctive, as are great power naval/maritime involvement and the hierarchy of local maritime and naval capabilities. Unfortunately, insufficient attention has been given to maritime aspects of Latin American geopolitical conflicts. This paper aspires to help correct this deficiency.