ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates United States efforts to redirect its coercive power in Latin America amidst intensifying opposition. It outlines the transition from George W. Bush's War on Terror to Obama's 'smart power' approach. The chapter analyses the shifting deployment of coercive resources through the US Southern Command, the Pentagon's unified command structure for Latin America. Dormant since 1950, when it was decommissioned after patrolling the Atlantic during the Second World War, the fleet was re-established 'to address the increased role of maritime forces in the US Southern Command area of operations, and to demonstrate US commitment to regional partners'. The construction of forward bases in Honduras demonstrates the US military's penchant for a lighter, 'smarter' approach to 'emerging threats'. The chapter examines the US response to the 2009 military coup in Honduras, which deposed the 'populist' government of Mel Zelaya and consolidated the country's position as a vital outpost of US military capacity in Central America.
