ABSTRACT
Security is a dimension of the United States relations with Latin America that is little understood and frequently maligned. Different studies of US security interests yield many different understandings of what security is with no agreed upon definition of security, of security interest, or of what might constitute threats to security. In defining US security interests in Latin America, a broad definition of national interest is appropriate. Such a focus gives greater emphasis to the nonmilitary dimensions of security—to the things that contribute to security in the long term rather than those that threaten security. Political instability anywhere in the world is of concern to the United States for a variety of reasons. Because of the US global commitments, instability in the regions proximate to our own borders, particularly when that instability has ideological overtones, is especially worrisome to the US government. Latin America’s poverty and deprivation are a human tragedy that has direct consequences for the United States.
