A New Monroe Doctrine? U.S. Power, Militarized Security, and the Contest with China in Latin America

This panel examines how the second Trump administration has reshaped U.S. relations with Latin America and the Caribbean, converting deportation, detention, and bilateral security cooperation into primary instruments of hemispheric policy. Does this mark a genuine departure from prior U.S. strategy or an intensification of long-standing hard-power habits with new packaging? What are the domestic political consequences for democratic institutions, civilian oversight, and the rule of law in countries adopting the emerging security model? And how does Washington's more coercive, transactional posture affect the contest with China, whose regional appeal has depended on the absence of political conditionality? We invite participants from multiple perspectives, including but not exclusively from international relations, comparative politics, civil-military relations, and security studies. We welcome contributions examining specific countries, comparative cases, or the broader architecture of U.S. hard and soft power in the hemisphere.