Analyzing the Effects of the Cold War on Latin America

This essay examines the multifaceted effects of the Cold War on Latin America, highlighting the region's transformation after the conflict. The end of the Cold War brought hopes for a new world order, but also revealed underlying issues like corruption, unjust judicial systems, and economic inequalities. The essay discusses the rise of neoliberalism, its impact on Latin American economies, and the resulting social and economic disparities. It also explores the geopolitical shifts, the impact of drug trafficking, and the failure of infrastructure and healthcare systems. The essay analyzes the economic growth in Latin America, its dependence on imported goods, and the debt crisis of the 1970s. It concludes by emphasizing the lasting effects of the Cold War on Latin America's social, economic, and political landscape, and how the mask of anti-communism or pro-communism concealed the real problems. The essay also references relevant sources to support its arguments.

Running Head: EFFECTS OF COLD WAR ON LATIN AMERICA
Effects of Cold War on Latin America
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1EFFECTS OF COLD WAR ON LATIN AMERICA
With the end of Cold War, the developing world of Latin America looked forward to the
appearance of a new order. It was finally he time when armies ruling the hemisphere were shut in
their barracks, the dreaded leftist were practically in shambles. The countries who had applied
trade barriers were falling like house of cards, state enterprises were put up sale for sale.
Countries of Nicaragua and El Salvador have been able to bring some peace for their citizens, the
nationalist rivalry that had long existed between Argentina and Brazil has finally come to an end.
This also put an end to the arms race in those regions, along with the stall in its nuclear threat.
However, the promise of Cuba to its citizens regarding the evolvement of a fiery evolution had
been reduced to embers.
However, many countries were discovering that the democracy and free enterprise to be
less decisive that the fall of despotism and the command of it on economy. A dominant dialogue
that the young generation of Brazil, Peru, and Paraguay had was the opportunity of a fair voting
system when the countries were raging with corruption, unjust judicial system, and the monarchy
of presidents.
The advent of neoliberalism had promised to bring down inflation, and restore growth.
But in reality, only a very little of the wealth had trickled down to the common people. As the
promised fortune grew increasingly distant, people asked the obvious question – “how long the
pain of economic “adjustments” will last (Muñoz, 2018).” The only positive outcome that
evolved out of the end of Cold War was the unraveling of the real problems devoid of the mask
of anti-communism or pro-communism. It also revealed the failure of the Latin Government as
social, economic, and environmental issues kept surmounting. Latin America was torn by the
violence of drug dealers and trafficking along with the spread of cholera that revealed the failure
of the countries’ lack of infrastructure and health-care systems. As the geopolitical import

2EFFECTS OF COLD WAR ON LATIN AMERICA
trickled down to almost a null state, Latin Americans had no clue regarding whom to turn to for
seeking help. In spite of Latin American economies that grew at a rate of 5.5% in comparison to
the past thirty years before 1980, the amount of insufficiencies kept growing, along with deficit
in spending and heavy dependence on imported capital goods (Muñoz, 2018). This resulted in a
huge amount of inflation in 1970’s as countries discovered that they were incapable of paying
back their debts as the creditors began to demand austerity along with the orthodox reform for its
was the only price payable for sustenance (Neto & Malamud, 2015).
It was understood that the proclamation of the neoliberalists were nothing but grand
gestures of deception that was backed by the money-corrupted system of politics. In reality,
neoliberalism is extremely far from being anything but “liberal” and has very little resemblances
with the “open society” that was initially propagated by Karl Popper (Muñoz, 2018).

3EFFECTS OF COLD WAR ON LATIN AMERICA
Reference
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Mintz, S. W., & Price, R. (2013). The birth of African-American culture. In African-American
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Muñoz, H. (2018). Latin American nations in world politics. Routledge.
Neto, O. A., & Malamud, A. (2015). What determines foreign policy in Latin America?
Systemic versus domestic factors in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico, 1946–2008. Latin
American Politics and Society, 57(4), 1-27.