Anti-Americanism in the Southern Cone of Latin America

Abstract

Anti-Americanism is strongest in the parts of Latin America geographically closest to the United States. Mexico and the countries of Central America and the Caribbean remain highly dependent on their giant neighbor to the north. Their resentment of this fact is often reflected in sharp expressions of anti-American feeling. In contrast, in the Southern Cone of Latin America, criticism of the United States has, over the last twenty years, become less strident and more pragmatic. This change in views follows a shift in the balance of power in favor of the Southern Cone and away from the United States. As these countries have grown more independent, they have grown less resentful of U.S. power. There may, however, be a resurgence of anti-Americanism in the Southern Cone if the debt-trade crisis is not resolved quickly and equitably.