The Evergreen Forum

THE UNITED STATES AND LATIN AMERICA

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Except for the issue of illegal immigration,  American society and media have largely forgotten about Latin America. Yet it is a major trading partner, a strong cultural influence on an increasing percentage of the US population, and a factor of varying importance in US security policy. In addition, Latin America provides useful case studies in the continuing debates about contending models of political and economic development.

The course will combine an examination of the politics and recent history of nine Latin American countries with a discussion of past, present, and future US policy on selected problems that those countries illustrate. Readings will include two background texts and articles representing different points of view. The following countries and problems will be studied:

Cuba (the embargo, post-Castro politics)

Chile (CIA and the Cold War, the Chilean model of growth with equity)

Mexico (immigration, NAFTA)

Colombia and Peru (drugs, guerrilla insurgencies)

Brazil (Mercosur, energy policy)

Argentina (economic breakdown and recovery, populism)

Venezuela (anti Americanism, petro-socialism)

Haiti (economic and political breakdown, US/UN intervention)

Leader: Paul E. Sigmund, Professor of Politics Emeritus, has published ten books on Latin American politics, and has taught courses and seminars on the subject at Princeton for over 40 years.

Wednesday: 2.15 to 4.15 p.m.

8 weeks beginning September 26.