Latin America Essay

Latin America had long been an obscure entity in the sphere of International Relations. However in the recent decades, particularly from the beginning of the twenty first century, we see many Latin American states asserting themselves in the international sphere in general and challenging the hegemony of United States in particular. Thus Latin America’s international relations promises to be an interesting study of a very promising region. The paper will underline three major reasons for the new developments in Latin American foreign policy. First is the economic rise of Latin American states. Second is the democratization of Latin American states, starting from 1980s. Third is the quest for autonomy that was quite widespread

The process of democratization was in full swing in most Latin American countries. The economic rise of Latin American countries, once at the peripheries of world economic system, also made the world to take notice of this region. Vocal challenges to U.S hegemony in the domestic affairs and the region at large, also simultaneously emerged. Subsequently, successful regional co operational initiatives were also realized. All this has led to rise of the profile of Latin America in the world stage and also has given a unique identity to it in the international sphere, of late. Let us identify some major reasons behind

They could be either radical left as in the case of ALBA member states – Venezuela, Bolivia and Peru or liberal left as in Brazil and Argentina. Many of these governments have fought poverty and inequality and addressed these issues attaining favorable results.

This has been possible only through democratization, which paved way for socialist parties that aimed at addressing the abject poverty and appalling inequality that was (and still is) conspicuous throughout Latin America. Thus the democratic governments rejected both the two main economic models followed in Latin America in its non democratic era : import substitution of bureaucratic authoritarian regimes as well as rabid marketization and neoliberalism of U.S supported regimes. Thus the newly democratic states elected parties that were of a pragmatic socialist bent, which struck a right balance between liberalization and welfare, thus lifting millions out of poverty, which is most exemplified in the case of Brazil and Mexicio. In case of radical left too, nationalization has helped distribute national wealth among the population, rather than be exploited by U.S based multinationals, as done by Venezuela under Hugo