The Future of Inter-American Relations, with Canada

and the U.S. Barely Holding On

“[It is] important to keep before ourselves and the Latin American peoples at all times the reality of the thesis that we are a great power; that we are by and large much less in need of them than they are in need of us; that we are entirely prepared to leave to themselves those who evince no particular desire for the forms of collaboration that we have to offer […]”

Latin America as Viewed from the U.S.

In 1950, the highly regarded U.S. diplomat at the time, George F. Kennan, spoke the words above referring to John Quincy Adams’ 1821 speech concerning U.S.-Latin American relations: “[Latin American governments] are not likely to promote the spirit of freedom or other by their example […] I had little expectation of any beneficial result to this country from any future connection with them, political or commercial”. While Adams’ dichotomy of Latin America was one strand of the United States’ perception of the region, it was far from the entire story. As Jorge I Dominguez pointed out in his 1999 study “The Future of Inter-American Relations,” there has been a clear evolution in Inter-American relations since then and that the dynamics have undoubtedly changed since the relationship has had time to mature. Each Latin American country has shifted positions according to its relative interests. While Adams and Kennan are to be found in the more realist standpoint in the political spectrum regarding inter-state integration, policy-making dynamics also have altered giving room for new political approaches. As U.S. Secretary Hillary Clinton confirmed during her latest Latin American tour, the region has changed its disposition of carrying out international relations. Now, it cannot be said that realism has been replaced by liberalism, but rather that such interests have been overshadowed by the preeminence of ideology and politics that can be analyzed from a post-modern view. Thus it can be asserted that the latest manifestations of Latin American interests can be found in the creation of relatively new regimes and multilateral institutions, such as Unión de Naciones Suramericanas (UNASUR) and Alternativa Bolivariana para las Américas (ALBA).

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This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate María Gabriela Egas