Scholarly Research on U.S.-Latin American Relations: Where Does the Field Stand?

Abstract

This article draws on a new dataset to depict the scope, objectives, and methods of research in the field of U.S.-Latin American relations over the past quarter-century.The key findings are that the study of U.S.-Latin American relations focuses largely on foreign policy analysis, is mainly descriptive, relies overwhelmingly on qualitative methods, and is fairly detached from the main research trends in international relations. In light of this assessment, the article emphasizes the need to pay more attention to issues of theory development and explanation in this subfield of international relations.T his article focuses on, and presents an assessment of, the academic field of U.S.-Latin American relations. 1 The analysis, based on works published during the period 1989 to 2008, seeks to shed light on the empirical content, purpose, and methodology of research on U.S.-Latin American relations. It is concerned with three key questions about the contributions of this field of studies to knowledge: knowledge about what? knowledge for what? and how has knowledge been generated?The assessment is based on an analysis of journal articles published in 15 leading international relations (IR)

Domestic Contestation and Presidential Prerogative in Colombian Foreign Policy

“…Recently, unflinching alignment characterised Uribe's presidency (2002–2010), while Santos (2010–2018) attempted moderate diversification. This emphasis on the United States and international systemic constraints is consistent with broader LAFPA (Mora and Hey, ; Bertucci, ; Neto and Malamud, ), even as scholars increasingly stress Latin American agency (Tickner, ; Long, : 194–211).…”

Dimensiones de política exterior en América Latina según juicio de expertos

“…Existe una extensa literatura acerca de la relación entre América Latina y Estados Unidos que abarca distintas dimensiones, desde los conflictos armados y las presiones geopolíticas a la cooperación política y comercial (Smith, 2008;Weeks, 2009;Williams, 2011;Bertucci, 2013). Los estudios de política exterior en América Latina suelen examinar la relación con Estados Unidos a través del eje cooperación-conflicto.…”

Christopher Darnton, Rivalry and Alliance Politics in Cold War Latin America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014. Figures, tables, notes, index, 285 pp.; paperback $40.46, Kindle $35.96.

“…The study of the international relations of Latin America, and of hemispheric affairs more generally, has been mainly descriptive and detached-in terms of theory and method-from the main research trends in IR (Bertucci 2013). But despite some of its limits-about which the author is openly explicit-Rivalry and Alliance Politics in Cold War Latin America helps explain outcomes mostly unresolved by mainstream IR theories.…”