The formulation of US foreign policy is subject to a series of individual and institutional as well as internal and external tensions. In this paper we argue that if the foreign policy formulation process is faced dynamically during any specific US government, it could be likened to the swing of a pendulum. This "pendulum theory" argues that considerations such as the growing experience of key politicians in any new government, bureaucratic restrictions, and professional opinion on foreign policy formulation combine to make dramatic initial forays into new fields or ideologically driven political initiatives revert to more moderate common ground as a particular government continues to exercise its mandate. Such would be the case with respect to the United States and its relationship with Latin America.
Keywords:
United States, Latin America, Inter-American Relations, Foreign Policy, Policy Making
Author Biography
David Scott Palmer, Universidad de Boston
Ex director para América Latina del Foreign Service Institute del Departamento e Estado y actual profesor de la Universidad de Boston.
Palmer, D. S. (1988). Actores y factores en las relaciones contemporáneas de los Estados Unidos y América Latina. Estudios Internacionales, 21(82), p– 157. https://doi.org/10.5354/0719-3769.1988.15627
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