International Relations

§I. Introduction

§II. The Long History of U.S. Involvement

§III. Colombia and the U.S. Today

§IV. Conclusions

I. Introduction

§A. International Relations Have Long Shaped Latin America

§1. first the ______________________________________________________ conquest

§2. then _____________ between the Spanish, Portuguese, British, French, Dutch and other European powers

§3. after independence in the 1800s, political and economic relations with _______________________ became the critical international issue

§4. in the early 1900s, the development of the U.S. as a rising world power made the U.S. the most important ___________________________________________

§5. U.S. _____________________________________________ have played a large role in shaping the past century politically, economically and socially

II. The Long History of U.S. Involvement

§A. U.S. President James Monroe and the _____________________________________

§1. in 1823, Monroe stated that ______________________________________ in Latin America would be opposed by the U.S., since it was “our backyard”

§2. European powers, especially the British, ____________________________________________ and continued their political and economic intervention in the region

§B. U.S.-Mexican War of 1845-48

§1. U.S. seizes ____________________________ (Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California) after invading and occupying Mexico City

§2. Latin American nations began to view the U.S. as a ________________________________________

§C. The Spanish-American War of 1898

§1. the next major U.S. conflict in Latin America began after the either _______________________________ by the U.S. of the battleship USS Maine in Havana harbor

§2. U.S. government blamed the explosion on _____________________________________

§C.3. Spanish empire was ___________________________________ and made an apparently easy opponent for the U.S. as we sought to become a major world power

§4. most important fighting took place in Cuba between the Spanish and ___________________________

§5. the U.S., most notably Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders, helped the Cubans and promised them _______________________ for their help in defeating the Spanish

§C.6. after the Spanish defeat, the ___________________________________________ to the Cubans and made Cuba effectively a U.S. protectorate

§7. the U.S. also took _____________________________________________- and a few other Spanish colonies as compensation in the peace treaty

§8. the U.S. laid its claim to ____________________________ with the seizure of Spanish colonies for itself

§D. The Early 1900s: _____________________________ in the Caribbean and Central America

§1. Teddy Roosevelt elected president and instigates the secession of _____________________________ to allow U.S. to build the canal

§D.2. U.S. _____________________________________ follow throughout the region: Mexico during 1910-20 Revolution, Haiti, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, and other nations

§3. the U.S. formed alliances with ________________________________________ during interventions, supporting the creation of dictatorships that promised to remain allies of the U.S. and allow U.S. investment

§E. Shift to the __________________________________

§1. in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, U.S. policy shifted to promoting development and reducing the use of ____________________________

§E.3. _______________________ with the Soviet Union and Soviet support for some rebel movements in Latin America opposed to control by the landed elites and militaries led to U.S. focus on anticommunism

§4. many interventions via support for Latin American militaries, via ______________________________ against what were viewed as enemy governments (e.g. Bay of Pigs in Cuba, support for Contras in Nicaragua), and occasionally direct invasion (____________________________________)

§5. U.S. intervention continues today: military in _____________________________, covert support for opposition in Venezuela

III. Colombia and the U.S. Today

§A. Long History of _____________________________________________ in Colombia

§1. history of ______________________ during the 1800s, as in many other Latin American nations

§2. conflict intensified in 1948 after the murder of a political leader who was _________________________ over the controlled democracy that excluded most of the population

§3. 200,000 killed in La Violencia from 1948-57 in a conflict that was eventually between rival elites over control of ___________________________________

§4. conflict ended with ______________________ reaching a new agreement to share power between them

§5. _________________________________________ never ended

§A.6. Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) formed in the 1960s and has remained a ___________ movement ever since, controlling a large area of rural Colombia

§7. _____________________________ in 1972 pushed more people out of the electoral system and into the April 19 Movement (M-19) fighting for real democracy in Colombia

§8. ________________________________ in the U.S. and Europe beginning in the 1970s created Colombia’s new leading industry, the drug trade

§A.9. ________________ became another major armed group and worked with rebels, right wing paramilitary organizations, and the army (depending on who controlled a particular area) to control production and export

§10. Colombian government could not ________________________________ of the country or deal with the problems of poverty and violence

§B. U.S. Intervention in Colombia

§1. initial U.S. efforts to stop the drug trade in the 1980s due to the ___________________________________ in the U.S.

§B.2. U.S. used ________________________________________________ to force the Colombia government to try to control drug production and exports

§3. initial U.S. aid in the form of police and military ____________________________, including helicopters

§4. lack of success led to U.S. provision of aerial and satellite surveillance, military trainers, and significant numbers of U.S. _______________________________________________

§5. __________________________________ in the early 1990s against the Medellin drug cartel and in efforts to negotiate a peace settlement with guerrillas

§B.6. peace efforts stalled after the election of a president via the support from the ______________________ and failure of the government to control right wing paramilitary groups that killed opposition political leaders and rural and union leaders

§7. repeated efforts in the last few years to negotiate peace agreements, but _________________________

§8. U.S. funding and personnel levels have continued to increase, now as part of the “___________________” because of continued political violence and the threat that instability might pose for the U.S.

§III. Colombia and the U.S. Today

§C. Video: “Plan Colombia”

§1. Why do Colombian farmers grow coca?

§2. What does the U.S. government do to try to stop drug production and trade?

§3. Why have U.S. strategies failed?

§4. What are the human and environmental impacts of fumigation?

§5. Why has the U.S. continued to follow failed militaristic policies?

§6. What are the differences between the rebels and the drug traffickers?

§C.7. What roles do right-wing paramilitary groups play in the conflict and the drug trade?

§8. What are the relationships between the paramilitary groups and the Colombian army?

§9. What roles has the U.S. played in paramilitary and military anti-guerilla efforts?

§10. What are the U.S. economic interests in Colombia?

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IV. Conclusions

§A. _______________________ have shaped Latin American politics, economies and societies for the past 500 years

§B. The U.S. displaced ___________________ as the major outside power in the late 1800s and early 1900s

§C. U.S. efforts to create political stability, strong alliances, and opportunities for U.S. investment often lead to support for elites and maintaining the inequalities that ___________________________________________

§D. Even when the U.S. is not directly involved in these conflicts, all parties recognize the U.S. role in shaping the conflict and are likely to demand _____________________________________