IINA: Latin America’s Pursuit of Active Non-Alignment in an Era of US-China Rivalry

By Suguru Osawa, Associate Professor, Aichi University

Since his return to the White House, US President Donald Trump has identified the Western Hemisphere as a priority for US foreign and defense policy, and this shift appears to be reshaping political dynamics across Latin America. Some observers argue that Trump’s Big Stick diplomacy has contributed to a rightward shift in the region, with right-leaning candidates winning presidential elections in Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Peru since the beginning of his second term. Many of these candidates campaigned on improving relations with Washington—a message that Trump openly welcomed. The so-called Orange Wave sweeping the region would seem to suggest that his hemispheric strategy is gaining traction.