ABSTRACT
Squeezed between South America’s two biggest countries, in the center of a vast continent, Paraguay’s chief international concern has always been maintaining its independence. As the quotations indicate, Paraguay’s leaders have, at turns, resorted to isolationism and expansionism to protect Paraguayan sovereignty. The country has survived largely because of its value to its giant neighbors as a buffer state. Francisco Solano Lopez had an even worse effect on Paraguay's international relations, leading to a disaster that almost erased the country from the map. Among the thousands that Lopez II executed were many foreign diplomats. Diplomatic ties between Paraguay and the United States have grown and diminished intermittently, conditioned by policy issues external to Paraguay. The two countries are far apart, and Paraguay is too small to attract much sustained interest in Washington, either political or economic. The 1976 election of Jimmy Carter produced fundamental changes in US-Paraguayan relations.
