The U.S-Latin America Relationship in the Post Cold War―In a Visual Angel of Con

中图分类号:D815 文献标识:A 文章编号:1009-4202(2010)07-186-02

Abstract Someone says that Latin America is a back garden of the Unite States. They have a close connection. Nevertheless,they don’t have a good relation. Many observers in the 1980s had hoped that Latin America's turn toward democracy and market economics,coupled with Washington's waning emphasis on security matters,would lead to closer and more cooperative ties. But,they don’t have a well cooperation till now. I want to use constructivism to figure out what led to this frustration of u.s-latin america relationship,as well as look forward the futurity of it.

Keywords Constructivism U.S-Latin America Relationship Prospect

Ⅰ.Constructivism in International Relationship

In the late 1980s and early 1990s,constructivism became one of the major schools of thought within international relations. Alexander Wendt is the best-known advocate of social constructionism in the field of international relations. Wendt's article "Anarchy is What States Make of It:the Social Construction of Power Politics"(1992)in International Organization laid the theoretical groundwork for challenging what he considered to be a flaw shared by both neo-realists and neo-liberal institutionalists.

Alexander Wendt calls two increasingly accepted basic tenets of Constructivism "(1)that the structures of human association are determined primarily by shared ideas rather than material forces,and(2)that the identities and interests of purposive actors are constructed by these shared ideas rather than given by nature"①.

Constructivists don't agree with neo-realists and challenge their views. Neo-realists argue that international politics is primarily determined by the fact that the international system is anarchic which lacks any overarching authority. Such anarchy forces States to act in certain ways,specifically,they can rely on no-one but themselves for security(they have to Self-help).Constructivists argue that Neo-realism's focus on the material structure of the system(Anarchy)is misplaced①.The way in which Anarchy constrains states depends on the way in which States conceive of Anarchy,and conceive of their own identities and interests,Anarchy is not necessarily even a 'self-help' system.

In a word,constructivists think that views play an important part in the international relations. It's useful for us to know about some problems which realism can not explain.

Ⅱ.The Frustration of U.S-Latin America Relationship

Broadly defined,Latin America consists of South America,Central America,Mexico and parts of the Caribbean. It is vast as a region. The U.S. and Latin America should have had a good relationship. They are complementary mutually. On one hand,the U.S. is the strongest country in the world. It has got powerful economy. But the U.S. confronts many economic problems. Developed industry wants to enlarge the oversea market as well as needs more resources. On the other hand,Latin America has abundant resources,such as oil,natural gas,minerals and so on. Nevertheless,Latin American countries are all developing countries,and they are lack of finance.

Civil war is a malady of the past and peaceful transitions of power has become the rule,without exception. Economic growth has been positive and robust across the region. Such situation makes Latin American look forward to a better development. The U.S. which is the richest country in the world is close to the countries in southern hemisphere and it can offer technology and finance.

In economic area,Latin America is the fastest growing U.S. regional trade partner,with the exception of Africa,which has had strong export growth based largely on the rise of petroleum prices. Between 1996 and 2007,U.S. merchandise trade(exports plus imports)with Latin America grew by 137% totally compared to 110% with Asia(driven largely by China),114% with the European Union,294% with Africa,and 120% with the world②.

Nowadays,Latin America is relevant to American security. Instability in the Middle East and the frequent threats to the security of oil supplies over the past thirty years,have contributed to a heightened U.S. preoccupation with the security of Latin America. The general importance of Latin America to U.S. energy security was articulated clearly in a 2000 report by the U.S. National Intelligence Council of the CIA:"Latin Americaespecially Venezuela,Mexico and Brazilwill become an increasingly important oil producer by 2015 and an important component of the emerging Atlantic Basin energy system③."

Our new concept of security in the southern hemisphere is multidimensional in scope,includes traditional as well as new threats. Among the non-traditional threats,the OAS identified the following:terrorism and transnational organized crime;extreme poverty and social exclusion of broad sectors of the population;natural and man-made disasters;illicit trafficking in persons;attacks to cyber security;the possibility that access to,and the use of weapons of mass destruction by terrorists.The U.S. Must deal with these problems by cooperating with their neighbor-Latin America.

If we are in a visual angle of realism,we would believe that,in the post cold war world,with the globalization developing,America and Latin America should have had many common interests. Their relationship was thought to be closer and better. Nevertheless,contrary to what we thought,there are divarications as well as conflicts between the U.S and Latin America. It is difficult for them to cooperate with each others.

Political relationship between the U.S. and Latin America is terrible. Throughout the region,support for Washington's policies has diminished. Few Latin Americans,in or out of government,consider the United States to be a dependable partner. U.S.-Latin American relations have seriously deteriorated.

Ⅲ.What cause the frustration of U.S-Latin America relationship?

Constructivism argued that significant aspects of international relations are historically and socially contingent,rather than inevitable consequences of human nature or other essential characteristics of world politics. The U.S. and Latin America have different culture,language,views. But,what is more important is that they have an unpleasant history which impressed Latin American. Moreover,Latin American nationalism is more and more popular in Latin America.

Latin America is both a geographical and cultural concept. The countries in Latin America are linked by both their position on the globe as well as the Latin-derived languages which they speak. The different culture may influence U.S-Latin America relationship to a certain degree. Nevertheless,the history has a big negative influence on their relationship.

During a long history,the U.S. and Latin America kept an unfair relationship. The Unite States wanted to control Latin America and often intervene as well as invade. The Monroe Doctrine was thought to be a mark of American strategy toward Latin America. That was not welcomed by Latin American.

The Monroe Doctrine was a U.S. policy that was introduced on December 2,1823,which said that further efforts by European governments to colonize land or interfere with states in the Americas would be viewed by the United States of America as acts of aggression requiring US intervention④.It has four principles:(1)The Western Hemisphere no longer opened as colonization .⑵The political system of the Americas was different from Europe. ⑶The United States would regard any interference in Western hemispheric affairs as a threat to its security.⑷The United States would refrain from participation in European wars and would not disturb existing colonies in the Western Hemisphere. The Unite States aimed to keep France,Spain and other powers out of the region and to control this region.

During the Cold War,fear of communism had led to considerable U.S. military involvement in the region. The Unite States intervened on western hemisphere affairs many times. When the Cuban Revolution established a socialist government with ties to the Soviet Union,after trying to establish fruitful relations with the U.S.,it was argued that the spirit of the Monroe Doctrine should be invoked again,that time to prevent the further spreading of Soviet-backed Communism in Latin America. During the Cold War,the United States thus often provided intelligence and military aid to Latin and South American governments that claimed or appeared to be threatened by Communist subversion. Interventions brought about a large number of chaos. Latin American voices against US interventionism and people felt that their dignities were hurt. So they had a neglect mood toward America.

One more point that can never be overlooked is that Latin American nationalism pulls up the movement of anti-Americanism.

Latin American concern about nationalism goes beyond simply coping with routine affairs of national existence. It is a concern over the legitimacy of that existence and an uncertainty over what it means. It is a question of national identity. It is also a question of regional identity;for no matter the distinctions between states,the many historical,cultural and linguistic ties also provide an ambiance of "continental nationalism," a general Latin American nationalism,that is equally as important.

In the history,invasions made Latin American disbelieve the U.S. And the developing nationalism made Latin American do not want to cooperate with American. Demotic movement is difficult to disappear.

Ⅳ.Prospect of U.S-Latin Relationship

Some experts said that there is a limit to U.S. hegemony even when Washington is actively trying to exercise it;to the extent that Latin America becomes--in the near future,at least--a secondary or tertiary field of strategic interest,the writ of American hemispheric policy is likely to be extremely limited. Whether this is good or bad for Latin America,or for that matter,the United States,remains to be seen. If history is any guide,the effects will be both positive and negative,often in ways difficult to foresee.

Everyone looks forward to a good future. What influence U.S-Latin cooperation is that people in Latin America have a negative attitude toward the U.S.. At the same time,America despised Latin America and carried out hegemonism. U.S-Latin relation is lack of trust. If the U.S. changed their old hegemony policy,this frustration may change. All the nations are in equal status. Nations ought to respect the interests of other nations.

Currently,to some extent,we saw something hopeful. New president of the U.S.,Obama,prefer a moderate attitude toward Latin America. At the Summit of the Americas--held in Trinidad and Tobago April 17-19 and attended by the leaders of every nation in the Western Hemisphere except Cuba--Barack Obama went far toward repairing the damage caused by more than two decades of disastrous economic policy and seven years of neoconservative interventionism. He graciously accepted Chávez's gift of Eduardo Galeano's Open Veins of Latin America and took notes during Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega's lengthy speech recounting Washington's aggression against his country. The US President’s offer,in his opening speech on Friday night,of a "new beginning" in relations with Cuba,was viewed as a crucial first step towards healing divisions. In a closing press conference Mr Obama reassured leaders by saying that "there are no senior or junior partners in the Americas"⑤."We're only one nation," the president said,and the "problems that we confront,whether it's drug cartels,climate change,terrorism,you name it,can't be solved just by one country. And I think if you start with that approach,then you are inclined to listen and not just talk." American leaders were impressed with Mr Obama’s efforts to reach out to a region long neglected by George W. Bush and antagonised by decades of interventionism.

Latin America seems to accept this new government of the U.S.. But Obama must do more than speaking. Constructivism argues that shared idea rather than material forces can help strengthen cooperation. If the new government of the U.S. can make Latin American change the attitude toward America,the U.S-Latin America relationship will be better and better.

Notes:

①Alexander Wendt.Social Theory of International Politics .Cabridge:Cambridge University Press.1999:8-15.

②J. F. Hornbeck and Marisabel Cid.U.S.-Latin America Trade:Recent Trends,Foreign Affairs,Defense,and Trade Division.2008.7.18.

③Inter-American economic affairs Volumes 15-16.by Institute of Inter-American Studies in Washington D.C..Inter-American Affairs Press.1975.

④"Latin America and the United States:A Documentary History".by Robert H. Holden & Eric Zolov.Oxford University Press.2000.

⑤"Barack Obama's Latin America debut hailed a success".April 19.2009.www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6128184.ece.