2025/09/01 by Loreta Tellería Escobar · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #International Relations in Latin America
paper · pdf · doi:10.17141/iconos.83.2025.6611
openalex publication_date 2025/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
This article covers the re-militarization of Latin America and the Caribbean from a complimentary space that addresses the return of military influence in the political sphere among civilian governments. Without overlooking the historical presence of militarism and militarization in the region and its endogenous characteristics, the role that the United States has played is highlighted during the 20th and 21st centuries. In recent years, the rise of a new strategy of security implemented by the government of Joe Biden is identified: Integrated Deterrence. It is a multidomain and multidimensional military strategy capable of articulating a series of actors and mechanisms with the objective of conserving North American hegemony in the region in the face of growing influence from China and Russia. Through a revision of official documents of the United States government, it is shown that the Southern Command of this country has begun a crusade within this framework in which actions unfold in diverse areas, among which include Chinese investments, Russian communications influence, and the securitization of the political agenda of countries in crisis, as is the case of Ecuador. It is concluded that all of this leads to adverse effects for Latin American democracies interested in security, sovereignty, and military institutionality.