The Security of the Americas
Abstract
While ethnic strife and regional conflict continue to erupt around the world, the geopolitical situation has markedly become more peaceful in the Americas. This transformation is obvious in the discourse used to describe the area. Gone are terms that once distorted North American images of Latin America and the Caribbean--communist subversion, military dictatorships, death squads, nuclear proliferation, hyperinflation, and U.S. imperialism. These terms have been replaced over the last decade by constructive images replete with a fresh vocabulary--democratic reform, market economy, peace operations, confidence building, transnationalism, and cooperative security. Such expressions are evidence of a revolution that has quietly awakened the hemisphere, offering greater hope for solidarity and security than at any time in history. New economic, political, and cultural rhythms that are gaining strength in many nations are not random or unrelated developments, nor are they cyclical in nature. These are unique responses to profound local experiences and a transformed international environment. This largely unfamiliar and undervalued area to the south of the United States encompasses 33 Latin American and insular Caribbean states, ranging from Brazil, the fifth largest country in the world (with a land mass greater than that of the continental United States), to Barbados, one of the smallest. There are some 451 million people in the region, a third of them in Brazil and a quarter in Mexico. The population is expected to exceed 750 million by 2010, as Sao Paulo and Mexico City become two of the largest cities in the world.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA529035
Entities
People
- Hans Binnendijk
- John A. Cope
Organizations
- National Defense University