Overview of Latin America

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Overview of Latin America
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Overview

• 34 countries
• Distinct sub-groups
• Mexico
• Central America
• Caribbean
• South America
• Andean Region
• Southern Cone
• Large (8 million square miles)

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Overview

• 500 million people (10 of world pop)
• Four ethnic categories
• Mainly mestizo (Ven, Col, Hon, Nic, ElS, Pan)
• European (Arg, Chi, Urr, CR)
• Large Native Populations (Guat, Ecu, Peru, Bol
  Par)
• African admixtures (Braz, Cuba, DR, Haiti)
• Multiple languages (Spanish, Portuguese, Aymara,
  Quechua, Guarani, , French, English)
• Urbanized (75 live in citiesMexico City, Sao
  Paolo, Buenos Aires all larger than NYC, 40
  cities of 1 million plus)
• Economic diversity.

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Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean
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SouthAmerica
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Outline of Basic History

• PRE-CONQUEST (500 B.C.-1492)
• CONQUEST/DISCOVERY/ENCOUNTER (1492-early 1500s)
• COLONIAL ERA (1500s-mid-1800s)
• INDEPENDENCE (most state free by mid-1800s)

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Development

• Phase 1 Initiation of Export-Import Growth,
  1880-1900.
• Phase 2 Expansion of Export-Import Growth,
  1900-1930.
• Phase 3 Import-Substituting Industrialization
  (ISI), 1930-1960s.
• Phase 4 Stagnation in Import Substituting
  Growth, 1960s-1980s.
• Phase 5 Crisis, Debt, and Democracy, 1980s-2000s

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Concepts to Consider

• Land holding patterns
• Race
• Governance
• Elites v. Masses
• The Military in Politics
• Authoritarianism
• Democracy
• Populism

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Issues Topics

• US-LA v. Inter-American
• The course encompasses the entire Western
  Hemisphere (Canada, the US, the Caribbean, and
  Central and South America). Although, the focus
  is mainly on US-LA relations.
• The OAS and NAFTA are good examples, as is the
  proposed FTAA.
• Some of our discussion will be about
  relationships between LA states (Colombia and its
  neighbors, MERCOSUR, the Andean Pact, border
  disputes, etc.)
• Trade

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• USA v. The Americas
• IR v. Comparative Approach
• Key Topics
• Security
• Illegal Immigration
• Drugs
• Terrorism