Panamericanism versus Latin Americanism: geopolitical and civilizational tension

Abstract

The objective of this article is to reveal the ideological tension in the debate between Pan-Americanism and Latin Americanism in light of the historical context that forged it. One of the variables to understand the emergence of both concepts is the expansionist geopolitical interest of the United States to consolidate its dominance over the American continent and, in turn, the search for autonomy of the new Hispanic American countries before the European and American powers. Another variable is the culturalist-civilizational one posed by the geo-cultural approach of International Relations. From this perspective, it will be concluded that the Pan-Americanist discourses tacitly expose that Latin America belongs to Western civilization, while the Latin Americanist discourses uphold the idea that Latin America itself constitutes a genuine civilization: the Latin American civilization. Through the tension in question, we will see three moments in the civilizational relationship between the United States and Latin America that denote the results of the investigation. The first moment, between the end of the 18th century and until the twenties of the 19th century, is a cordial relationship. The second, between the aforementioned decade and the end of the 19th century, is a relationship of divergence. The third moment, which runs from the late 19th century onwards, is a predominantly Pan-American relationship. The methodology used in this research is a critical analysis of the primary and secondary historical sources within the framework of the discipline of International Relations.