U.S.-Latin American Relations

As the impact of globalization on the region becomes more pronounced, the interconnected economies of the United States and Latin America have revealed new opportunities as well as political challenges. Today, it is clear that the rules and demands of a globalized economy have changed the face of Latin America. Yet, numerous areas of public policy that are critical ingredients to the national interests of both the United States and Latin America, such as immigration, drug smuggling, gang violence, leftist revolution, cultural transformation, and regional security continue to test the relationships between the United States and Latin American governments. Policies dating back to President Bill Clinton's second term and continued under the George W. Bush administration have centered on issues of trade, investment, and resource development and accelerated both growth and tension in the region.In this fourth edition of his book, Kryzanek discusses new participants in the shaping and implementation of policies toward Latin America, for example, the growing role of Hispanics within the United States in pressuring for changes in U.S. policy in a number of areas. There is also discussion of the role the Department of Homeland Security plays in U.S.-Latin American relations, particularly with respect to border and anti-terrorism issues. As U.S.-Latin American Relations demonstrates, understanding the way in which policy is made toward Latin America is essential to understanding how this relationship has evolved, and why there have been both successes and failures.About the Author:Michael J. Kryzanek is Professor of Political Science at Bridgewater State College inMassachusetts

About the Author

MICHAEL J. KRYZANEK is a Professor of Political Science at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts. In addition to the first two editions of this work, he is the author of Leaders, Leadership, and U.S. Policy in Latin America (1992), coauthor of The Dominican Republic: A Caribbean Crucible, second edition, (1992), and Latin America: Change and Challenge (1995).