Latin American States as International Actors Capabilities, Nationalism and Policy Making Structure

Who is the Highwayman?

I. CAPABILITIES OF LATIN AMERICAN STATES

Capabilities: Geography Variability in size Natural barriers Vast Empty Spaces Relative isolation from major geopolitical events

Capabilities: Population 1810 - 20 million in the entire region 1900 – 60 million 1970 – 300 million 2000 – 600 million

Capabilities: Social Dimensions Gaps between the classes great Limited social mobility Skin color and class strongly correlated Class conflict can limit coherent foreign policy

Capabilities: Political Dimensions Instability makes countries vulnerable Mexico in the early twentieth century Venezuela during the 1960’s Argentina in the 1980’s Instability also makes coherent foreign policy difficult

Capabilities: Military Class structure usually replicated in the military Limited social mobility Different social classes dominate within different services Can impact of combat effectiveness of the country’s armed forces Training missions from great powers Near nuclear capability

Capabilities: Economic Raw materials ISI efforts only partially successful Technology Debt

II. NATIONALISM CLASSICAL EXPRESSION: GROUP CONSCIOUSNESS IN WHICH INDIVIDUALS IDENTIFY THEMSELVES WITH AND GIVE SUPREME LOYALTY TO THE ABSTRACTION OF THE NATION

NATIONALISM: EARLY EXPRESSION Criollos vs. peninsulares Brazil: loyalty to members of the Braganza family Simón Bolívar and Gran Colombia Liberalism as nationalism in early 19th century Latin America

Modernization & Nationalism Modernism – usually implies catch up with the North Atlantic Nativism – reaction to modernism Anti-Yankeeism Economic nationalism Military socialism Revolutionary nationalism

Post-Cold War Nationalism Strengthen democracy Regional cooperation agreements Free trading systems Anti-drug, anti-arms smuggling Continuing concern with the United States

Nationalism and the New States Island Caribbean Guayana

III. Foreign Policy Decision Structure of the Latin American States

Primacy of Domestic Politics Concern for social justice Concern for economic autonomy Concern with technological advancement Historic overlay of great power conflicts on the region

Changing Domestic Input Channels Traditional oligarchy long monopolized foreign policy New industrialists broke the monopoly of traditional oligarchy Labor unions usually in alliance with the industrialists Peasants and urban poor clamored for improved socio-economic conditions Roman Catholic church

Decision-making Agents 19th century foreign policy highly personalistic Caudillos Barão de Rio Branco Personalism continued throughout the twentieth century Foreign Ministers usually make day to day policy Other bureaucracies such as the Foreign Trade Institutes

Quality of Latin American Foreign Services Varies Mexico and Argentina have respectable foreign services Smaller and medium countries have often had highly politicized foreign services Example of Venezuela in the transition from the Pérez Jiménez dictatorship to Punto Fijo democracy

Quality of Latin American Foreign: Brasil Itamaraty of Brazil is the most professional Brazilian territory and international status advanced over past century by Itamaraty National examinations Entrace based on merit but traditional sectors have had advantages Concern over access to high quality education excluding minorities