CEPR hosted a conversation between journalist Ryan Grim and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Greg Grandin about Grandin’s New York Times best-selling book, America, América: A New History of the New World. CEPR’s Francesca Emanuele made introductory remarks. Grandin’s book provides a sweeping five-century narrative of the turbulent relationship between an expansionist United States and the nations of Latin America, and how that relationship has largely shaped the identities of both.

The discussion was particularly relevant given the Trump administration’s increasingly belligerent policies in the Western Hemisphere, which seek to reestablish dominance in a region long considered by the Washington foreign policy establishment to be the US’s “backyard” but which has moved away from the US in recent decades.

The book provides much-needed historical context for understanding current events in the region, including the rise of far-right politicians like Javier Milei in Argentina, Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, Nayib Bukele in El Salvador, and Daniel Noboa in Ecuador — and how their success is deeply linked with political developments in the US.

At the event, Grandin noted how, throughout history, after the fracturing of a dominant US political coalition, Latin America played a central role in the consolidation of new domestic coalitions, from the founding fathers to FDR’s New Deal Democrats and into the post-Cold War neoliberal order.

“History is repeating itself,” said CEPR International Research Director Jake Johnston. “The Republican party of old has splintered, and as MAGA seeks to consolidate its hold over the party, they are looking to Latin America to do so.” They appear to be doing so through the mass stigmatization of Latin American immigrants and through an openly interventionist hemispheric agenda reminiscent of the early 20th century era of “gun boat diplomacy.” Multiple outlets have recently reported that top Trump administration officials are pushing for direct US military action inside Venezuela aimed at regime change, while the Trump administration has intervened heavily in countries like Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina in order to support far-right political allies. The US recently announced a $20 billion bailout for Milei’s Argentina, a clear effort to influence upcoming elections.

But America, América is also a book of hope, as Grandin pointed out. In response to US interventions, Latin Americans remade the rules of international relations, with lasting implications for the modern world. At a time when international law is again under threat, and multilateral institutions have proven unable to stop the ongoing massacre of civilians in Gaza, the tireless organizing of social movements in Latin America will continue to be a source of inspiration, and the leading edge in the fight for a more just world order.

“Grandin reminds us that Latin America has never been merely an object of domination, but a source of enduring ideas and struggles that continue to challenge and reshape the international order,” said CEPR’s Emanuele. “And spaces of diplomacy — which may appear fragile or weak today — are indispensable in moments like the one we are living through. No negotiating space should be abandoned, for it is through dialogue and diplomacy that we confront violence and prevent war.”