Economic, Military, and Political Relations The
1990’s were seen as the age of economic liberalism.
Trade between the United States and Latin Ameri-
can countries increased considerably during this
time, and Latin American countries started trading
at a higher rate among themselves as well. In 1991,
Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay estab-
lished Mercado Común del Sur (MERCOSUR), also
known as the Southern Common Market, a trade or-
ganization intended to increase economic coopera-
tion among the member nations. The North Ameri-
can Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) among the
United States, Canada, and Mexico came into effect
in 1994 and started the trend of multilateral agree-
ments in Latin America.
In terms of military involvement, the United
States had a limited role in Latin America during
the 1990’s. With the exception of the Haiti interven-
tion in 1994, the United States did not intercede
with force in any other Latin American country dur-
ing the decade. However, the long-lasting “war on
drugs” continued, with the United States support-
ing Latin American countries, especially Colom-
bia and Bolivia, in their attempts to stop drug traf-
ficking.
Politically, the relationship between the United
States and Latin America was stable during the de-
cade. One relevant exception was the strained rela-
tionship between the United States and Cuba. The
long-lasting embargo on Cuba was codified into law
in 1992 and expanded in 1996 with the Helms-
Burton Act, which restricted U.S. citizens from do-
ing business in Cuba and restricted all financial sup-
port to Cuba coming from U.S. citizens. In general,
even when politics was involved, the relationship be-
tween the United States and Latin America was
dominated by economic interests.
Impact U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America
in the 1990’s had an impact beyond the decade. The
rise of economic liberalization, together with U.S.
military relations with Latin American states, has
helped shape the national and foreign policies of
most Latin American countries. With the end of the
Cold War, the need for regional collaboration
seemed to push the United States toward Latin
America, with the focus on economic collaboration
instead of military intervention.
Further Reading
Brewer, Stewart.Borders and Bridges: A Histor y of U.S.-
Latin American Relations.Westport, Conn.: Praeger
Security International, 2006. A good starting
point to understanding of U.S.-Latin America re-
lations before, during, and after the 1990’s.
Chambers, Edward J., and Peter H. Smith, eds.
NAFTA in the Millennium.La Jolla, Calif.: Center
for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of Califor-
nia, San Diego, 2002. Looks at the challenges
NAFTA experienced in the 1990’s and at the fu-
ture of the institution. A great collection of works
regarding many aspects of NAFTA.
Girard, Philippe R.Clinton in Haiti: The 1994 U.S. In-
vasion of Haiti.New York: Palgrave MacMillan,- Focuses on the political career of Haitian
president Jean-Bertrand Aristide and the foreign
policy dynamics between Haiti and the United
States.
Haney, Patrick J., and Walt Vanderbush.The Cuban
Embargo: The Domestic Politics of American Foreign
Policy. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, - Outlines the history of the Cuban embargo
and discusses more recent issues surrounding it.
Hartlyn, Jonathan, Lars Schoultz, and Augusto
Varas, eds.The United States and Latin America in the
1990’s: Beyond the Cold War. Chapel Hill: University
of North Carolina Press, 1993. Outlines the
changes in U.S.-Latin America relations after the
Cold War.
Wiarda, Howard J. “Benign Neglect: American For-
eign Policy in Latin America in the Post Cold
War Era.” InThe Crisis of American Foreign Policy.
Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. Fo-
cuses on the shift in U.S. foreign policy after the
Cold War, with an emphasis on the economic pol-
icy prescriptions of the Washington Consensus
and their consequences.
Pedro dos Santos
See also Albright, Madeleine; Bush, George H. W.;
Business and the economy in the United States;
Christopher, Warren; Clinton, Bill; Conservatism in
U.S. politics; Foreign policy of the United States;
Haiti intervention; Illegal immigration; Immigra-
tion to the United States; Latinos; Liberalism in U.S.
politics; Mexico and the United States; North Ameri-
can Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).506 Latin America The Nineties in America