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Rivalry and Alliance Politics in Cold War Latin America

Rivalry and Alliance Politics in Cold War Latin America, the first systematic analysis of these conflicts among US allies, argues that bureaucratic interests, rather than international mistrust or diplomatic missteps, fueled protracted rivalry among allies. Author Christopher Darnton discusses four critical conflict-resolution initiatives between Argentina and Brazil from 1949 to 1980, based on research in both countries’ foreign ministry archives.

Date & Time

Monday
Apr. 13, 2015
4:00pm – 5:30pm ET

Location

6th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center
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Overview

One of the central paradoxes of the global Cold War was the prevalence of rivalries among countries within the same bloc. Given a common adversary, why did so many of these conflicts persist, why did peacemaking efforts repeatedly fail, and what conditions ultimately contributed to the rare instances of successful rapprochement? Rivalry and Alliance Politics in Cold War Latin America, the first systematic analysis of these conflicts among US allies, argues that bureaucratic interests, rather than international mistrust or diplomatic missteps, fueled protracted rivalry among allies. Christopher Darnton discusses four critical conflict-resolution initiatives between Argentina and Brazil from 1949 to 1980, based on research in both countries’ foreign ministry archives. These documents reveal how presidents in both countries managed their armed forces and civilian bureaucracies, responded to insurgent threats and economic crises, and navigated the triangular relationship with Washington. Placing these rapprochement efforts in broader comparative perspective, Darnton articulates the political risks of diplomatic engagement, the economic and organizational components of successful conflict resolution, and some surprising lessons for contemporary coalition-building.

Christopher Darnton is an assistant professor of politics at the Catholic University of America. He is the author of Rivalry and Alliance Politics in Cold War Latin America (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014) and of articles in International Studies Quarterly, Security Studies, Latin American Research Review, and the Journal of Cold War Studies. He holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University.

The Washington History Seminar is sponsored jointly by the National History Center of the American Historical Association and the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program. It meets weekly during the academic year. See www.wilsoncenter.org/collection/washington-history-seminar for the schedule, speakers, topics, and dates as well as webcasts and podcasts. The seminar thanks the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations and the George Washington University History Department for their support.

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Speaker

Christopher Darnton

Assistant Professor, Catholic University of America
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Hosted By

History and Public Policy Program

The History and Public Policy Program makes public the primary source record of 20th and 21st century international history from repositories around the world, facilitates scholarship based on those records, and uses these materials to provide context for classroom, public, and policy debates on global affairs.  Read more

Cold War International History Project

The Cold War International History Project supports the full and prompt release of historical materials by governments on all sides of the Cold War. Through an award winning Digital Archive, the Project allows scholars, journalists, students, and the interested public to reassess the Cold War and its many contemporary legacies. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program.  Read more

Latin America Program

The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action.  Read more

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