22Received 17.09.2024. Revised 21.10.2024. Accepted 24.10.2024.
Abstract. Dominant position in Latin America has historically been one of the pillars of US hegemony in the world. That is why Washington’s policy south to the Rio Grande is one of the “eternal” topics of international research, the relevance of which increases each time a new owner comes to the White House. The end of Joseph Biden’s presidential term provides a convenient opportunity to sum up the activities of his administration in the Latin American direction, identify key trends, and assess the current state and prospects for the development of inter-American relations. The solution to this significant scientific and practical problem involves considering the following fundamental questions: What political legacy did Biden receive from his predecessor, Donald Trump? How has the geoeconomic and geopolitical situation in the Western Hemisphere changed over the past four years? What challenges in relations with Latin American states will the next US president face? In essence, the answers to these and some other questions form the research field of this article. The study shows that the Biden administration has attempted to strengthen the US position in the tough field of global competition, which the vast Latin American financial and trade and economic space represents. At the same time, many factors arising both in Latin America itself and outside the Western Hemisphere, while reflecting changes in the balance of global and regional powers, are actively influencing the state of inter-American relations, limiting Washington’s ability to act in the spirit of the Monroe Doctrine and exert economic and political pressure on Latin American countries. Today, there is no reason to talk about a significant change in the balance of economic power between the North and South of the Western Hemisphere, but certain shifts cannot be ignored. The transformations taking place at the global level do not bypass the Western Hemisphere, and the changes observed in Latin America are becoming part of the global challenges that the new American administration will have to respond to.
Keywords: USA, Latin America, inter-American relations, “Trump factor”, economic and political changes in the Western Hemisphere, Biden’s Latin American policy, new strategic challenges
REFERENCES
1. Galo I. De Monroe a Xi Jinping. ¿Vuelve Estados Unidos a mirar con interés a Latinoamérica, aunque de reojo? Foreign Affairs Latinoamérica, 22.11.2022. Available at: https://revistafal.com/de-monroe-a-xi-jinping/ (accessed 02.09.2024).
2. Carafano J. U.S.-Latin American interests in freefall. Gisreportsonline, 15.12.2023. Available at: https://www.gisreportsonline.com/r/united-states-latin-america/ (accessed 12.08.2024).
3. McKinley M. Inflection Point: The Challenges Facing Latin America and U.S. Policy in the Region. CSIS, 07.09.2023. Available at: https://www.csis.org/analysis/inflection-point-challenges-facing-latin-america-and-us-policy-region (accessed 24.07.2024).
4. Yakovlev P.P. From NAFTA to USMCA: reform of North American integration. Russian Foreign Economic Bulletin, 2019, no. 1, pp. 75-87. (In Russ.) Available at: https://journal.vavt.ru/rfej/article/view/2219 (accessed 24.07.2024).
5. Yakovlev P.P. Global puzzles. Iberoamerica in a changing world. Moscow, ILA RAS, 2020. 515 p. (In Russ.)
6. Fernandez J. In the Coronavirus Era, Trump’s ‘America First’ Means ‘Latin America Alone’. Foreign Policy, 07.05.2020. Available at: https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/05/07/coronavirus-latin-america-trump/ (accessed 11.07.2024).
7. Tirado A., Lajtman T., Garcia Fernández A. Elecciones en EE.UU., coronavirus y América Latina. Celag, 22.04.2020. Available at: https://www.celag.org/elecciones-en-eeuu-coronavirus-y-america-latina/ (accessed 13.09.2024).
8. Arrighi G. The Long Twentieth Century. New York, Verso Books, 1994. 416 p.
9. Dynkin A.A. Transformation of the world order: economy, ideology, technologies. Polis. Political studies, 2024, no. 5, pp. 8-23. (In Russ.) Available at: https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2024.05.02
10. Yakovlev P.P. USA and China in Latin America: Contours of Competition. Bulletin of Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia. Series: International Relations, 2019, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 47-58. (In Russ.) Available at: https://doi.org/10.22363/2313-0660-2019-19-1-47-58
11. García Sánchez J.J. American Protectionism: Can It Work? Epicenter, 16.08.2023. Available at: https://epicenter.wcfia.harvard.edu/blog/american-protectionism-can-it-work (accessed 19.08.2024).
12. Yakovlev P.P. Economy of Latin America at the Start of Digital Modernization. World Economy and International Relations, 2022, vol. 66, no. 3, pp. 110-118. (In Russ.) Available at: http://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2022-66-3-110-118
13. Villarreal M.A., Schwarzenberg A.B. U.S. – Latin America Trade and Investment. Congressional Research Service, 15.03.2024. Available at: https://ctsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12614 (accessed 14.09.2024).
14. Muro Lauroba S. Multilatinas break the investment ceiling abroad. Global-Affairs, 20.12.2023. Available at: https://en.unav.edu/web/global-affairs/las-multilatinas-rompen-el-techo-inversor-en-el-exterior (accessed 22.07.2024).
15. Martynov B.F., ed. Modern Organized Crime in Latin America and the Caribbean. Moscow, Ves’ Mir, 2017. 272 p. (In Russ.)
16. Le Cour Grandmaison R. Violence in Haiti. A continuation of politics by other means? Global Initiative, 25.03.2024. Available at: https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/violence-in-haiti-politics-crime-gangs/ (accessed 10.07.2024).
17. Medeiros Passos A. Latin America’s Armed Groups Are Expanding Their Empires. Americas Quarterly, 22.08.2024. Available at: https://americasquarterly.org/article/latin-americas-armed-groups-are-expanding-their-empires/ (accessed 27.08.2024).
18. Arnson C. A Growing Rift in the U.S.-Colombia relationship. Americas Quarterly, 07.08.2024. Available at: https://americasquarterly.org/article/a-growing-rift-in-the-u-s-colombia-relationship/ (accessed 12.08.2024).
19. Felbab-Brown V. Domestic and International Dimensions of the U.S. Fentanyl Crisis. U.S. Department of State, 15.02.2024. Available at: https://www.state.gov/briefings-foreign-press-centers/domestic-and-intenrnational-dimensions-of-the-us-fentanyl-crisis (accessed 13.09.2024).
20. Yakovlev P.P. BRICS after expansion: Western containment strategy. Prospects. Electronic Journal, 2024, no. 2, pp. 7-23. (In Russ.) Available at: https://www.perspektivy.info/oykumena/ekdom/briks_posle_rasshirenija_zapadnaja_strategija_sderzhivanija_2024-07-31.htm (accessed 15.08.2024).
21. Maresca A. Biden Should Undo Trump’s Mistakes in Latin America. Latinoamérica21, 22.04.2024. Available at: https://latinoamerica21.com/en/biden-should-undo-trumps-mistakes-in-latin-america/ (accessed 16.08.2024).
22. Shifter M. President Biden Should Not Underestimate Challenges in Latin America. The New York Times, 10.02.2021. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/opinion/biden-latin-america.html (accessed 16.08.2024).
23. Bosworth J. Three Crises Are Overshadowing Biden’s Latin America Successes. World Politics Review, 11.03.2024. https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/us-latin-america-relations-biden/ (accessed 15.08.2024).
SOURCES
1. Bilateral trade between Latin America and the Caribbean and United States of America. ITC. Trade Map. Trade statistics for international business development. Available at: https://www.trademap.org/Bilateral_TS.aspx?nvpm (accessed 11.09.2024).
2. Bilateral trade between United States of America and Latin America and the Caribbean. ITC. Trade Map. Trade statistics for international business development. Available at: https://www.trademap.org/Bilateral_TS.aspx?nvpm (accessed 12.09.2024).
3. La Inversión Extranjera Directa en América Latina y el Caribe, 2024. Santiago, Naciones Unidas, CEPAL, 2024. 189 p. Available at: https://www.cepal.org/es/publicaciones/ie (accessed 12.09.2024).
4. Fear, Lies and Lucre: How Criminal Groups Weaponise Social Media in Mexico. Crisis Group, 31.01.2024. Available at: https://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/mexico/b50-fear-lies-lucre-how-criminal-groups-weaponise-social-media-mexico (accessed 19.08.2024).
5. Fentanyl Deaths Per Year (2024). Consumer Shield, 22.04.2024. Available at: https://www.consumershield.com/articles/fentanyl-deaths-per-year (accessed 22.08.2024).
6. The CCP’s Role in the Fentanyl Crisis. Congress.gov, 16.04.2024. Available at: https://www.congress.gov/event/118th-congress/house-event/117142?s=1&r=1 (accessed 12.09.2024).
7. 2022 Summit of the Americas. Congressional Research Service, 24.06.2022. Available at: https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN11934 (accessed 31.08.2024).
8. Summit for Democracy 2023. U.S. Department of State, 28.03.2023. Available at: https://www.state.gov/summit-for-democracy-2023/ (accessed 02.09.2024).
9. FACT SHEET: Vice President Harris Announces New Initiatives to Strengthen U.S.-Caribbean Partnership. The White House, 08.06.2023. Available at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/08/fact-sheet-vice-president-harris-announces-new-initiatives-to-strengthen-u-s-caribbean-partnership/ (accessed 12.09.2024).
10. Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity. U.S. Department of State. Available at: https://www.state.gov/americas-partnership-for-economic-prosperity/ (accessed 12.09.2024).
11. Donald Trump says immigrants are eating Springfield’s pets. What? The Economist, 11.09.2024. Available at: https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2024/09/11/donald-trump-says-immigrants-are-eating-springfields-pets-what?ysclid=m14j5ay47j24446170 (accessed 12.09.2024).
12. Antony Blinken swoops into a violent hotspot close to home. In Haiti a new security force is aiming to suppress gang violence. The Economist, 10.09.2024. Available at: https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/09/10/antony-blinken-swoops-into-a-violent-hotspot-close-to-home?ysclid=m11vi4kcyp803105405 (accessed 14.09.2024).
13. How Mexico Became the US Top Trade Partner. (And how it can Maintain that Status). AUBA, 01.04.2024. Available at: https://auba.ai/2024/04/01/mexico-top-us-partner/#:~:text=It%20is%20true%20that%20Mexico,and%20China’s%20own%20financialèñòî÷íèêà%20struggles (accessed 12.09.2024).
14. Direct Investment by Country and Industry, 2022. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 20.07.2023. Available at: https://www.bea.gov/news/2023/direct-investment-country-and-industry-2022 (accessed 17.08.2024).
No comments