ABSTRACT
Compare two photographs of Latin America: one taken in the 1980s and the other at the beginning of the 21st century. Both would portray a diverse region in which different political and economic models, and ideologies, coexist; both would portray a complex web of relations among Latin American countries and among them and other state and nonstate international actors. What is different, then? In the first photograph one would see a region immersed in Cold War politics—the Central American conflict—one country at war with an extra-hemispheric country: the Malvinas/Falklands war between Argentina and the United Kingdom; various countries opening their economies to follow neoliberal policies; and others preparing for democracy. The second photograph, in turn, would depict a rather peaceful and democratic region with few interstate conflicts, a mixture of neoliberal and state-driven economies, and a number of regional and subregional organizations. The United States, present in both photographs, plays a different role: in the 1980s it followed a resolute anticommunist policy, and vigorously defended democracy— less so human rights—and in the 2000s it tries to define a strategy toward the region, based on the promotion of free trade, democracy, human rights, and security.
