Latin America: The United States sphere of influence

Abstract

The history of United States (U.S.)-Latin American relations is based on conflict. The U.S. has been accused of exercising dominance over Latin America, which is called its sphere of influence. Although the U.S. did exercise control over a Latin American sphere, it did so for a short period. U.S. influence fell into decline for two reasons. The first occurred when the U.S. attained its peak of power. At this time, the U.S. took the initiative and created democratic oriented regional and international organizations. These provided the States of Latin America a way out of the U.S. sphere. The second was the intense polarization of relations that occurred during the Cold War, at which time relations began to sour as Latin America left the U.S. sphere and vociferously opposed U.S. initiatives. Now that the Cold War has ended, this relationship should return to levels of interaction and support consistent with a natural relationship among juridical equals.