Why study Latin American Area Studies?
U.S. policy toward Latin America links us to Latin Americans in many ways: • Our nation’s economic interests are deeply involved in Latin America. • We are tied to Latin America by trade agreements such as NAFTA. • The U.S. economy depends on production and marketing in Latin America. • The U.S. determines many of the economic and development initiatives in Latin • America through the World Bank, IMF, and the International Development Bank. • Globalization incorporates Latin American labor into the U.S. economy. • Large sectors of the U.S. have become Hispanized through the influence of migrants from Latin America; these migrants contribute to the U.S. economy, but do not share equally in its benefits. • Historically, U.S. military intervention in Latin America has polarized our relationship to countries of the region. • The U.S. supplies military equipment and training to Latin American countries. • During the cold war, the U.S., in its war against communism, supported military dictat
