Latin American Foreign Policies Between Ideology and Pragmatism: A Framework for Analysis

Policy Windows for Foreign Policy Shifts in Latin American and Caribbean States

“…Previous theoretical discussion on Latin American foreign policy serves to contextualize the cases analyzed here. Despite having internal differences within the typologies, the findings are consent with the previous literature in the sense that all cases represent the alternation among either pro-or anti-core, or dependent and autonomous foreign policies, as advocated by Hey (1997); or the struggle among ideology and pragmatic-founded foreign policies, as proposed by Gardini (2011).…”

“…More extreme FPSs occured more frequently in small/weak and vulnerable states, while accomodation was more common in larger or more politically stable states, although further comparison would be need to confirm this finding. This gives support to Gardini's (2011) theoretical propositions, as FPSs took place mostly in Central American and Caribbean countries, where political systems are dominated by isolated elites, with ideology being used as a tool to contest the status quo, seeking a short path to international visibility. Additionally, geographical closeness to the US also appeared as an important variable to explain foreign policy instability in these weak countries, since hegemonic activism -through military interventions and embargos -resulted in foreign policy instability.…”

“…With respect to international sources, geographical closeness to the US (inside its security perimeter) and its historical policy of interventions in the hemisphere serve to explain the foreign policy instability in these countries, as financial support, economic embargos, and military interventions played a pivotal role in overthrowing adversary administrations and/or placing friendly regimes, all of which influenced leaders' decision making. Complementarily, their domestic characteristics may also be related to the occurrence of FPS processes, as according to Gardini (2011), the lack of resources leads to ideology-dominated foreign policies, aiming for short-term results and a short path to international visibility. Additionally, they are characterized by restrictive political systems, where leaders' interests may dominate the political agenda, enhancing the chances of FPS, leaders they do not face institutional constraints and use foreign policy as a tool to attain domestic political goals.…”

Performance of the South American Defense Council Under Autonomy Pressures

“…Both are ideational aspects, such as those related to sociopolitical and domestic economic dynamics. For the study of the CDS, the importance of connecting both levels of analysis lies in what Gardini and Lambert () identify regarding the superposition of interests and ideology in the formulation of Latin American foreign policy. Neoclassical realism allows ideology and pragmatism to be linked.…”

“…Another paramount factor was the ideologization that accompanied the balancing policy toward the United States. Although ideological aspects in the formulation of foreign policy respond more to the criteria and necessities of domestic policy than to strategic external demands (Gardini & Lambert, ), South American intra‐regional tensions in perceptions are usual, conditioning relations between CDS members. Relations and negotiations between Colombia’s Álvaro Uribe and Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez were especially tense.…”