Citation

Brands H. Peace Change 2008; 33(2): 243-273.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Peace History Society; Peace and Justice Studies Association, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1468-0130.2008.00491.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Economic development has long been a central pillar of American foreign policy, but often coexists uneasily with the more self-interested tenets of U.S. diplomacy. Richard Nixon's development strategy for Latin America is an excellent example of this problem. Upon taking office, Nixon and his advisers elaborated a plan to accelerate Latin American economic development and thereby head off the threat of social unrest and revolution in the Western Hemisphere. The plan came to naught, however, as it was compromised by the administration's economic unilateralism, insistence on maximizing American power and diplomatic leverage, and unwillingness to tailor U.S. policies to Latin American realities. In the end, the administration was unable to implement a successful development policy or reconcile development with other U.S. objectives. By the mid-1970s, the White House had therefore turned away from development as a means of protecting U.S. interests in Latin America, and fully embraced more repressive expedients.