The United States in Latin America

Abstract

It is frequently, though incorrectly, stated that the United States has been hegemonic in the Western Hemisphere since enunciation of the Monroe Doctrine in 1823. These overstated notions of US dominance often form the background for today’s assessments of the roles of rising powers and other extra-hemispheric actors in Latin America. And while historically dubious, this exaggerated historical memory of US power is shared by the United States’ harshest critics and by those in the United States who suffer nostalgia for bygone days of US preeminence. In addition, recurring hegemonic presumptions and fears of declining US influence have long colored US policymakers’ own perceptions of international relations in the Americas. This chapter argues that the role of the United States in Latin America would be better understood as chronologically, geographically, and thematically variegated. Tremendous asymmetries of material capabilities do exist and have important consequences; however, these have been tempered by other factors including the limits of converting capabilities to influence, poor and inconsistent US policymaking, and Latin Americans’ own agency and determination to pursue their interests. An appreciation of the variation of US power and influence in Latin America creates a sounder base for understanding the role of cooperation and competition with extra-hemispheric powers in Latin America, in the past and today.