Talons of the Eagle Dynamics of U.S.-Latin American Relations

by Smith, Peter H.

• ISBN13: 9780195083033
• ISBN10: 0195083032
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1996-04-18
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

In recent years, U.S.-Latin American relations have become increasinglytroubled. NAFTA seems to threaten as much as it promises; economic relations areshaky, underscored by the Mexican currency collapse; the "war on drugs" isescalating; and xenophobic reactions to the mass migrations of Latin Americansinto the United States, typified by California's Proposition 187, seizeheadlines and editorial pages.Spanning almost two hundred years, Talons of the Eagle tells the turbulentstory of U.S.-Latin American relations from the early years of the United Statesand the new Latin American nations through the Cold War to the present day.Focusing not on U.S. policy alone, but on the intricate network of relationshipsbetween the United States and its smaller neighbors, Peter H. Smith sheds newlight on events in our own backyard. Beginning with the balance-of-powerpolitics of the nineteenth century and the nascent United States's efforts toestablish its own sphere of influence in the New World, Smith describes thecomplex interplay between United States intervention and Latin Americanreactions. By the advent of World War II, the United States had launched morethan 30 military operations in Latin America. Latin American reactions variedfrom lofty visions of continental unity to vigorous expressions of nationalisticand cultural resistance. Later, in the years of the Cold War, the United Statesstruggled to eradicate perceived Soviet influence, often allying itself withdictators and despots in Latin America. Covert and overt American operationsranged from eight attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro to the Bay of Pigs, armedintervention in the Dominican Republic, and the invasion of Grenada. In theaftermath of the Cold War, U.S.-Latin American relations are dominated byeconomic and social questions, from drug trafficking and the "war on drugs,"which Smith covers in detail, to illegal immigration from countries such asHaiti and Mexico. What happens next will depend on the same factors that havedominated relations in the past: US policy is heavily influenced by the globaland international climate, and Latin American responses are dictated, to a largeextent, by the unequal balance of power between the US and the rest of theWestern hemisphere.Blending analytical rigor with illuminating anecdotes, Talons of the Eagleprovides a highly readable and up-to-date account of U.S.-Latin Americanrelations over the past two centuries, and offers provocative insight into thefuture.

Author Biography

About the Author:
Peter H. Smith is Professor of Political Science, Simón Bolívar Professor of Latin American Studies, and Director of Latin American Studies at the University of California, San Diego. His most recent books include pathbreaking studies of drug trafficking and regional integration, and he is the coauthor of Modern Latin America, soon to appear in its fourth edition.

Table of Contents

Introduction: International Systems and U.S.-Latin American Relations	p. 3
The Imperial Era
The European Game	p. 13
The Gospel of Democracy	p. 40
Mr. Roosevelt's Neighborhood	p. 65
Latin America: Responses to Imperialism	p. 88
The Cold War
Closing Ranks	p. 117
Making Friends	p. 142
Crushing Enemies	p. 163
Latin America: Fighting the Cold War	p. 188
Age of Uncertainty
Hegemony by Default	p. 217
The New Economic Agenda	p. 235
Illicit Flows and Military Force	p. 263
Latin America: In Quest of Alternatives	p. 292
Conclusion: Structure and Change in U.S.-Latin American Relations	p. 321
Appendix: Statistical Tables	p. 337
Notes	p. 347
Select Bibliography	p. 357
Index	p. 365
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