The International Politics of Latin America - Peter

Providing an up-to-date assessment of the role of Latin America in the international system, and written from a neo-realist perspective, this textbook examines the interaction of states within the region and their contribution to the development of international law and peacekeeping.;Calvert begins by analyzing the special characteristics of Latin America - its shared language and history, and its perceived status as part of the "South" in economic terms. He then explores the factors which go into the making of Latin American foreign policies: the perceptions of actors such as states, political parties, social elites and armed forces; the distribution of natural resources; the linked economic demands of poverty at home and debts abroad; and the ideological frameworks of socialism, native American rights and international law. He examines the workings of the inter-American international system and the Organization of American States, which played a key role in the Falklands crisis. Finally, he explores the region's role in global politics, via the non-aligned movement and the United Nations.