The U.S. and Latin America in the Cold War (Essay Sample)

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The U.S. and Latin America in the Cold War, 1945-1990
The United States indulged in extensive aggressive engagement with the entire Latin America during the Cold War for the obvious reasons that if it lost the engagement, America itself would have been in great danger of war or worse still, lose the superiority to the Soviet Russia. These were particularly precarious times and the world is yet to fully heal from the turbulent engagement. The mere fact that Latin America’s geographical positioning with reference to the United States and the sort of history and political radicalism that was widespread in the region, made it absolutely impossible to avoid intense confrontations in a global warfare that never involved the matching armies in its mainstream. Ever since, the relationship between the U.S. and its southern neighbours have been analyzed and sometime over analyzed for readers who like the sensation of history and the sentiment of political indulgences that are still largely shrouded in mystery. The relationship between nations and in particular; during the circumstances of a dispute or war are always marked by intriguing accounts. It was a welcome move when Havana announced fresh ties and the opening the U.S. Embassy in an event that was attended by President Obama.
International Relations in the Light of Hegemonic Struggle
Latin America derives its name from the 19th century territorial and political struggles which dabbed the people settled in the region as Latin speaking although French is considered the current model of South American cultures. During much of the 19th century, considerable alliances with Portugal, Spain and France were paramount because the European nations held colonial territories. However, much radical changes took place as the countries gained independence and took on nationalistic social and economic agendas much later on. By early 20th century, most of the countries were involved in extensive struggle for impendence and self governance (Holden & Zolov 67). It was also during this time that the World Wars I and II were fought and the whole world took a new direction in nationalism, independence. It was not until the total culmination of the American Revolution that international relations and international law as was set at the end of the World Wars that the struggle between the Communist Spheres of Influence pitted Soviet Russia and its allies against the Capitalist United States and its allies.
As from 1945 going forward, the United States had established itself as a leading industrial power although it never made any political statement to the effect. The tensions between Eastern European countries and Soviet Russia’s territorial expansion sparked a bitter diplomatic engagement. Although the U.S. held much greater economic and diplomatic power, Soviet Russian revolution sparked turmoil as soviet leaders advocated socialist and communist models of governance. It was in the milieu of these struggles, that younger and less developed Latin Americas nations staged bitter confrontations with the United States. The United Sates used its considerable global power and diplomacy to engage with the nations like Cuba and Mexico in several bids to drop their engagements with communist systems. Through the institutions of the United Nation, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), The World Bank and various sophisticated American Think Tanks that America eventually managed to triumph in the south.
According to an exhaustive sentimental interpretation of the account in Perkins’ ‘Economic Hit Man,’ the United States used the power it had through the institutions of international governance to bribe and to buy politicians who could promote its objectives in the Latin America region. Much of the crisis between the United States and Cuba was particularly pronounced because of the militarism that Cuban authorities demonstrated in collaboration with Soviet Russia. It is also depicted that these events came to a spirited pitch in the 1960s going forward into the 1970s. According to Benjamin (77), the revolution in Guatemala had sent a clear message to the region that communism would prevail. When the Cuban revolution took place, the United States was shocked the invincibility of nationalistic leaders indulging in extensive destruction and rebellion to attain power. The American Embassy in Cuba had intensely supported the government of Fulgencio Batista and it was a shock when Revolutionaries Fidel Castro an...