ABSTRACT
New global and regional strategic processes in the late 1980s are creating opportunities for innovation in inter-American security relations. Future hemispheric security relations should be designed so as to prevent a wave of new militarization in the region and to protect Latin American countries from being drawn into East-West competition. Inter-American security cooperation should overcome its political bias and be confined within the scope of modern military professional activity. By maintaining some continuities in hemispheric security relations, respecting some national dynamics as acceptable, and recovering the idea of security as multidimensional, a positive multilateral military posture could be developed. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book. The book analyzes the evolution of inter-American security relations, providing a variety of views on these topics from the United States and Latin America. It provides an analysis of regional security interactions around three main subregional areas: Central America, the Caribbean, and South America.
