US Uses Pretexts to Keep Hegemony in Latin America: Quintana

In an interview with Xinhua, Juan Ramon Quintana, who was minister of the Bolivian Presidency during the administration of Evo Morales (2006-2019), highlighted that the United States seeks to perpetuate its hegemony through pretexts such as the wars against communism, drug trafficking, and terrorism.

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"The U.S. strategy to exert its hegemony takes various forms, such as creating an enemy. The declaration of the Monroe Doctrine is the cornerstone for exercising dominance in Latin America," he asserted, referring to the doctrine established in 1823, by then U.S. President James Monroe, serving as the foundation for U.S. foreign policy with the slogan "America for Americans," aimed at preventing the expansion of European powers in the region.

While in the 19th century, the enemy of the U.S. in Latin America was the European powers, in the 20th century, the American nation created an enemy in communism, drug trafficking, and terrorism.

Currently, in the 21st century, the United States posits that its enemies are countries like China, Russia, and Iran, Quintana pointed out.

"To exert hegemonic power, the United States needs to create an enemy. Therefore, it gives top priority to national security to preserve hegemony," he explained, adding that the pretext for U.S. intervention in Latin American internal politics is that it is an unstable region with weak institutions and fragile democracies, hence requiring U.S. oversight.

When asked about the reasons that made Latin America a region of high geopolitical importance for the United States, Quintana listed several factors, highlighting the provision of natural resources crucial for the U.S. industrial development.

"The global hegemonic projection of the U.S. would not be viable without the absorption of the vast natural resources present in Latin America, such as lithium, gas, oil, copper, and other raw materials that confer competitive advantages to its industrial structure," he asserted.

Other factors influencing Washington's endless interest in Latin America include a regional market of 660 million consumers and the investments of major U.S. corporations in strategic sectors such as energy, hydrocarbons, mining, and food.

"We are witnessing the decline of an imperial hegemony that has endured for two centuries through interventions and intrusions. Consequently, the United States is experiencing a decline in its dominance, while Latin America envisions more opportunities to integrate and articulate its economic and political projects in the future," Quintana said.