The Second Century: U.S.DLatin American Relations Since 1889

by Mark T. Gilderhus

The Second U.S.–Latin American Relations since 1889 focuses on U.S. relations with Latin America during the second century, a period bounded by the advent of the New Diplomacy late in the nineteenth century and the end of the Cold War about one hundred years later. This text provides a balanced perspective as it presents both the United States's view that the Western Hemisphere needed to unite under a common democratic, capitalistic society, and the Latin American countries' response to U.S. attempts to impose these goals on their southern neighbors. This book examines the reciprocal interactions between the two regions, each with distinctive purposes, outlooks, interests, and cultures. It also places U.S.–Latin American relations within the larger context of global politics and economics. The Second Century is an excellent text for courses in Latin American history and diplomatic history.

Genres: History

282 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Andrew Egorin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine, but deeply US-centric, with little attention given to the domestic concerns (and even less to the foreign concerns) of Latin American countries. Flashpoint issues frequently come out of nowhere, with US concerns and political struggles heavily exposited yet their southern peers are generally skipped over. Also, despite extensive discussion of numerous US investment initiatives, the reader is left with little understanding of the effect of this FDI on the development of recipient countries. Finally, a generally underwhelming conclusion, best summed up as "nothing really changed in 100 years."