Decline and expansion : the contradictions of 21st century US imperialism in Latin America

Abstract

The global dynamics faced by the US imperialism are the following: 1.) Hegemonic crisis, 2.) Spatio-temporal fix, 3.) Peak oil, and 4.) New geopolitics. Neoliberalism destabilized US hegemony in Latin America. In response, the US has increasingly militarized Latin America's oil rich regions, particular the Western Amazon, the Gulf of Mexico, and a strategic corridor between them. This militarization and intervention poses a threat to independent, progressive development in Latin America. In addition, the US' militarized response to its hegemonic decline illustrates the continuing relevance of the concept of imperialism, at a time when post-modern and critical globalization scholars have claimed that the concept is "outdated."