INTS 210 : US-Latin American Relations

This class begins when the Spanish colonies were much richer and more powerful than the British or Portuguese. Considering American ascendancy after independence, students will explore the reasons for uneven hemispheric development in institutions, governance, and patterns of colonialism. Students will look closely at the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when the US often pursued its interests at the expense of its southern neighbors. Case studies of overt and covert operations include Mexico (1848), Nicaragua (1856), Cuba (1898), Guatemala (1956), Chile (1973), and Panama (1989). Despite the fact that the United States has also supplied billions of dollars in humanitarian aid to the region and remains its largest trading partner and important ally, Latin Americans retain a highly ambivalent attitude toward its northern neighbor. Many are attracted to American popular culture and goods, but are deeply distrustful of American political intent and economic power. Students who have completed Introduction to International Relations are encouraged to enroll.