Political Science

Latin America is comprised of Central America, the Caribbean, and South America.  In its most simple definition, all the countries south of the United States are considered part of Latin America.  There are twenty sovereign countries and ten dependencies in the region. The size of its land area is more than two-thirds of the entire American continent, according to the continental divisions taught in Latin American academic institutions.  In this region, the languages most commonly used are Spanish and Portuguese.  The dominance of such languages in the region is a result of its long history under Spanish and Portuguese colonialism. (Rangel 3)   It is because of the common Latin-based languages that the region share that it got its name.

Language however is not the only thing that the countries in the region have in common.  In fact, this is only indicative of the history and culture shared by the different countries and dependent territories.  Although there was a handful that was colonized by Great Britain and France, most of the countries in Latin America were once under the Spanish Empire and Portugal.  All those years of direct colonial rule made it possible for a common culture with heavy European influence to develop.  Its most outstanding feature is the Roman Catholic religion.  Roman Catholicism is the main religion in Latin America.  Many times in history, especially from the colonial times until the era when sovereign republics were established, this religion has influenced not only the spiritual affairs of the peoples but also their secular way of life, another cultural aspect that bore the hallmarks of 18th century Portugal and Spain.

Colonialism and its corresponding cultural hegemony over the region spawned a revolutionary movement that sought to liberate not just a single territory but significant parts of the region.  In 1810 and the succeeding years, Simon Bolivar and his forces successfully liberated vast areas from Spanish control and established the Gran Colombia.  (Bushnell 175)  Despite most of the revolutionary leaders Spanish lineage, they drew wide support from the mestizos and the natives in their goal of achieving independence.  Present-day countries that comprise the Gran Colombia established by Bolivar are Colombia, Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador.  However, it was only when the Spanish-American War broke out that more colonies began to break away from Spain and established themselves as republics.  Therefore, it was not only there being former colonies of Spain and Portugal that is common.  The tradition of struggle against colonization is embedded in the history of many countries in Latin America.

After the US defeated Spain in 1898, many of the remaining Spanish colonies in Latin America finally got their independence.  However, while these new countries each tried to develop independently, the US initiated a foreign policy that considered them as one region first by the Monroe Doctrine.  However, it was Secretary of State James Blaine that articulated US intentions for Latin America. It was to put the entire region under the influence of the US.  The main objective was to harness its human and natural resources with the entry of US-owned corporations.  At the same time, the area also became a new open market that accommodated products from the US.  (Peskin 82)

In realizing its designs for Latin America, the US began supporting regimes that could accommodate and protect its interests in the region.  Despite the brutal methods these regimes, often military dictatorships, use in order to perpetuate themselves in power, the US continued to support them politically and militarily.  The likes of Batista in Cuba, Somoza in Nicaragua, Pinochet in Chile, Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, and Hernandez in El Salvador received aid and training from the US to equip their respective armies against revolutionary movements that seek to liberate their respective countries from the dictators and from what they perceive as a new type of colonialism by the US.

Although only FSLN in Nicaragua and Fidel Castros forces in Cuba were victorious in their efforts to oust the dictators in their respective countries, in the 1950s until the 1980s, many Latin Americans saw themselves as being confronted by a single but very powerful enemy.  Because of this, many of the legal social movements and the underground and guerilla groups made it a point to provide aid to each other.  Activists and revolutionaries based in Mexico, for example, provided refuge to Castro when they fled Cuba to regroup after a failed attack on the Moncada.

In this era, however, the rise of leftist and center-of-left leaderships in many Latin American countries has further fueled the goal of a single region that is totally free from the clutches of US economic and political hegemony over the region.  This was made possible because, since the 1990s the US has been having its attention on the Middle East.  This apparent lack of interest by the US in the region provided the opportunity for many Latin American patriotic and socialist organizations to wage successful electoral struggles.  Although it is Hugo Chavez that is the most vocal with his anti-US sentiments, there are those who prefer to work silently for the development of their respective economies that are free from the influence of the Americans.  In fact, several countries in Latin America have joined the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA).  This was founded in 2004 by Cuba and Venezuela as a means develop an independent and free Latin American economy.  (Hattingh)

It is clear that Latin America, despite being comprised with different sovereign nations, can always be considered as one region.  It has a common culture and history.  In the respective struggles for nationhood, the countries have fought common enemies.  Because of this, it is expected that its current leaders will initiate a movement to unite the countries under a common foreign policy and trade agenda.  The objective is to make each country benefit from the actions of more powerful regional bloc.