Navigating the Future—and Understanding the Troubled Past—of Great-Power Competition in Latin America
Ryan Kertis and Chris Bernotavicius | July 28, 2020
Unquestionably, great-power competition is unfolding in the Western Hemisphere. Consider the number of bilateral agreements between China and Panama, illegal fishing in the eastern Pacific and southern Atlantic Oceans, a secretive military installation in Argentina, and Russia’s role in Venezuela. In light of this, the 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) refocuses the United States on competition, underscoring the growing challenges with a rising China and aggressive Russia. But in Latin America, the Department of Defense must be cautious in hyper-focusing on extra-hemispheric adversaries at the expense of domestic considerations facing countries throughout the region. Competition can and should look different there than it might elsewhere. Indeed, DoD can best compete with extra-hemispheric actors by assisting partner nations to insulate themselves from external influence, strengthen defense institutions, and enable security forces to consolidate gains and assist civil authorities.
In much of Latin America, weak political institutions are a longstanding problem. Today, they struggle with the compounding effects of COVID-19, lackluster economic performance, and enduring social challenges. In an attempt to confront these challenges, DoD is doing what it does best: reverting to methods it used in the last era of great-power competition in Latin America. However, policymakers and DoD senior leaders should heed the cautionary tale of the historical results in Latin America of a hyper-focus on external actors; there are no military solutions to competition occurring throughout Latin America. Military assistance provided with the intent of out-competing extra-hemispheric actors indicates a lack of understanding of the challenges our partners face internally and politically. More importantly, it risks the impression that our allies in the Western Hemisphere are on the sidelines of a greater conflict when in fact the shared challenges to security are often our best target for aid. This becomes clear with an examination of the history of military aid in Latin America, its origins and modifications, and its role in the Cold War. To be sure, there is a role for DoD to play in competing with extra-hemispheric actors in the region. But, it must account for unique local and regional conditions—too literal an interpretation of the NDS risks leading to poor implementation of military assistance and negatively contributing to the security environment.
https://mwi.usma.edu/navigating-the-future-and-understanding-the-troubled-past-of-great-power-competition-in-latin-america/
