Hegemony in the Coordinates of U.S. Policy: Implications for Latin America

The reordering of the international system has deepened asymmetries and allowed the East-West dispute to continue in terms of a North-South or center-periphery axis. The new geostrategic order is overwhelmingly unilateral. U.S. conceptions of security and economic-commercial policy constitute an integrated geostrategic whole; the expansion of global commerce is part of the security strategy of the United States. Latin America is an essential area for the United States because of the importance of its "great southern border." Although there is no concerted regional strategy for avoiding the imposition of unilateralism, countertrends are arising and new forms of interaction and collaboration are emerging. The challenge for regional politics is to entertain the possibility of prioritizing common problems and interests and making what unites Latin America and the Caribbean prevail.