An elusive new world order, 1991-2020 - Ambiguity in Latin America

12 important questions on An elusive new world order, 1991-2020 - Ambiguity in Latin America

How did Cuba end geopolitically after the Cold War?

Fidel Castro's Cuba became a relic of the Cold War, and while the rhetorical sparring between the old leader and successive American administrations continued after 1990, the island nation lost much of its relevance on the larger geopolitical stage.

When were the relations between Cuba and the US restored?

  • In 2014 the Obama administration, keen to end a half-century of mutual hostility and economic blockade, restored diplomatic relations with the communist regime.
  • The president made an official visit to the island in 2016 and used his executive power to ease travel and trade restrictions. 

How did Raul Castro react to new trade opportunities?

Despite the opening, Raul Castro refused to relax the state's monopoly over political and economic life, nor did it stop its arbitrary arrest of dissenters.
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What was the trend across much of Latin America?

With Cuba as the outlier, the trend across much of Latin America at the turn of the century was toward greater political pluralism and market-driven economic reform.

How was it for South America?

The 1980s had been a "lost decade" for much of South America, as oil and commodity revenues decreased and debt to the North spiraled.

How did Jair Bolsonaro gain power? Did he deliver on his promises?

  • Jair Bolsonaro used an outsized presence on social media to power his campaign.
  • He pledged to pull the country out of its deep recession and address the problems of high unemployment, surging crime rates, and years of political and business corruption.
  • But his "law and order" approach to domestic instability included a call to expand civilian gun rights and militarize the police, views that aligned with his stated affection for the years of Brazil's military dictatorship.  

How did civil wars end in the Central American states of Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador?

In the Central American states of Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador, bloody civil wars ended when leftist insurgents lost Soviet financial support.

What economic policy was there during the 1990s across the continent in state-owned businesses?

Across the continent during the 1990s state-owned businesses were privatized, tariff protections and official subsidies for favored enterprises were dropped, and in their place privatization schemes and incentives for foreign investors were adopted.

What was the biggest sign of the changing political and economic climate in Central and South America?

The biggest sign of the changing political and economic climate in Central and South America involved plans for a multistate free-trade zone.

What NAFTA-like agreements were also worked out?

NAFTA-like multilateral agreements were worked out among other states in South America: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay created a giant free-trade zone, while Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia revived a regional Andean Pact from the 1970s.

How was Latin America doing economically?

  • Despite the policies of economic liberalization, social and economic divisions remained great throughout the continent.
  • According to historian Peter Winn, in 2000 Latin America had "the most unequal distribution of income, land, and wealth in the world."

What did Latin American exports rely on?

At the start of the new century the bulk of Latin American exports remained tied to the agricultural sector, with products such as coffee, sugar, and bananas serving as the key commodities destined for a US market.

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