Latin America has played a crucial role for the United States as an empire. And historian Greg Grandin argues that Latin America’s importance stretches well beyond the regional interests of the United States in the Western Hemisphere. Instead, Grandin posits, the countries south of the border have been used as a crucible for the formation of American policy — such as applying the lessons from counterinsurgency against the left in El Salvador and Colombia to the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. (Full length interview.)

Resources:

Greg Grandin, Empire’s Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic Picador, 2021

“Ronald Reagan Made Central America a Killing Field: Sasha Lilley Interviews Greg Grandin” Latin

photo: Josh Johnson via Unsplash

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