Has the 'war on terror' influenced Latin America and its relationship with the U.S.? What are the implications of this process for the region?

Résumé du document

War on Terror was launched by the George Bush administration in respond to the attacks on September 11, 2001 on the US soil. The official term used by the US military, Global war on Terrorism refers to the various military, political, and legal action taken to curb the spread of terrorism. So, to what extend the new US ideological policy would influence its relationship with Latin America? To be more specific, why should the War against Terror influence its relationship and implicate the region to this process? War on Terrorism has changed the world according to Bush Administration; at least it has modified all its relationship, including Latin America. In what 9/11 has changed the relationship between Latin America and US?

Briefly, we should deem that the Latin America/US relationship was quite improving economically and politically in the 1990's. Free from the strategic and ideological rigidities of the Cold War, Latin America in the mid-1990's looked forward to a more realistic and constructive relationship with the US Improve their relations was one of the top priority of the American government.

US had hoped that Latin America turn toward democracy and free market economy and it would lead to closer and more cooperative ties. Indeed, for a time, the Americas seemed to be heading in the right direction. The Brady debt-relief proposal helped end Latin America's decade-long debt-induced recession. In 1995 a bold Washington-led rescue package helped prevent the collapse of Mexico's economy.

Extraits

[...] In 2004 the Congress refused to allow that all the aid allocated to the fight against drugs in Latin America can be used for the War on Terror. Despite this political defeat, the Bush administration did not drop it and blended the fight against drugs and the fight against terrorism in just one global strategic approach for the region. It may be comprised in its Global War on Terror. For that matter, the Attorney General John Ashcroft stated that "terrorism and drugs go together like rats and the bubonic plague [ . [...]

[...] III/ Why US would turn to Latin America in its crusade against terrorism? When compared to other regions of the world, the Western Hemisphere generally does not attract attention as a zone” in the war on terror. Latin America appears to be like the last priority of the American anti- terrorism agenda, of course if we except Colombia. Terrorism in the region was not born on 11 September 2001, however; Latin American countries have struggled with domestic sources of terrorism for decades. [...]

[...] HALUANI, Makram "Benign Neglect: Cooperation in the Western Hemisphere", Harvard International Review, Winter 2003, pp50- Johnson Stephen, Fact, Figures, Recommendations the Heritage foundation Johnson Stephen, U.S. Coalition Against Terrorism Should Include Latin America, October Paul Blustein, “Trade Accord Becomes a U.S. Foreign Policy The Washington Post, April DOYLE, Kate & ISACSON, Adam New World Order?: U.S. Military Mission Grows in Latin America", NACLA Report on the Americas no November/December 2001, pp14- Nancy Dunne and James Wilson, “Colombian Rebels Indicted,” The Financial Times, March Ingrid Vaicius and Adam Isacson, The War on Drugs meets the War on Terror February 2003, the Center of international Policy's 13. [...]

[...] The most important measure done after the terrorist attacks was the creation of the Inter-American Convention Against Terrorism at the OAS General Assembly in Barbados in June 2002. It was the first international treaty against terrorism after the attacks. This convention is based on ten international treaties adopted by Latin American countries between 1970 and 1999. In that way the convention set up particular institutes like the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism (known by its Spanish acronym CICTE). CICTE is a body of the OAS that was created in 1998. [...]

[...] Free from the strategic and ideological rigidities of the Cold War, Latin America in the mid-1990's looked forward to a more realistic and constructive relationship with the US Improve their relations was one of the top priority of the American government. U.S. had hoped that Latin America turn toward democracy and free market economy and it would lead to closer and more cooperative ties. Indeed, for a time, the Americas seemed to be heading in the right direction. The Brady debt-relief proposal helped end Latin America's decade- long debt-induced recession. [...]