ABSTRACT
Latin America is arguably the only region in the world that has not been massively involved in high intensity conflicts since the middle of the 20th century and that has not seen a grand-scale inter-state war since the 1982 Falklands (Malvinas) conflict. Although the countries of the region present a series of unresolved border disputes, these have been mainly dealt with by diplomatic means, with the exception of short-lived but very intensive military confrontations such as the three main military conflicts between Ecuador and Peru (1859, 1941 and 1995) and the 1969 war between El Salvador and Honduras. This is not to say that there are not increasing tensions among countries, but is to argue that the region has not been characterized by traditional warfare since the second half of the 20th century. Indeed, most conflicts, or at least those that have left the highest death toll in that period, can be categorized as low-intensity intra-state conflicts. Latin America has been a battle ground for guerrilla warfare and political and social uprisings that have left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced from their homes. Some of these conflicts date from the early 1900s and, contrary to common wisdom, they were not all a consequence of the Cold War era, which explains why many of them still take place across the region, especially in countries such as Colombia, where the insurgents keep important strongholds. This chapter does not pretend to provide a full account of all the conflicts in Latin America since 1945, nor does it claim to give full details of each one, for which more focused literature is recommended (see Bibliography: Levine, 1986; Martinez, 2000; Philip, 2003; United Nations, 2005; and Ward, 1997). Instead, the aim is to present an overview of the main conflicts, the significance of the conflict in terms of world geopolitics and its current state of affairs and perspectives. This account of conflict is, therefore, mainly referential for those who want to start understanding a significant part of the history of this region.
