Power Vacuum or Hegemonic Continuity?

This article argues that the gradual decline of the United States’ economic presence in Latin America—and particularly in South America—reads as a manifestation of Washington’s hegemonic attrition in the world. Indeed, concerns over the Chinese incursion in Latin America and the increase of the pressures of the American hard line could transform the region into a scenario of geopolitical dispute between the two great powers. I first analyze the history of the relations between the United States and Latin America, which have followed a complex trajectory of interest, coercion, consensus, and carelessness. I then focus on bilateral relations since the 1990s and specify the political and economic transformations of Latin America in the first years of the twenty-first century and the consequent paralysis of the United States to understand these changes. The article then summarizes the contours of the dynamic commercial relations between Latin America and China, an emergent actor in the region. I conclude with an examination of the U.S. responses to Chinese presence in the Western hemisphere.

“It's a Program That Looks Great on Paper”: The Challenge of America Reads

This study investigated former President Clinton's America Reads Challenge (1996), a political initiative aimed at improving reading achievement through nonprofessional tutoring. We examined two America Reads programs in light of components that researchers have highlighted as critical for effective tutoring programs. One program reflected Clinton's original proposal, in which he suggested that an “army of volunteer tutors” was the answer to improving children's reading achievement. The other program was tied to a national service organization, Americorps, in keeping with a revised proposal for America Reads (Clinton, 1998). The coordinators and supervisors of the two programs suggested that organizing and implementing a tutoring program using volunteers and work-study students is extremely difficult. Although America Reads provided the salaries of work study tutors, no funds were provided for supervision, materials, or tutor training. The volunteer program dissolved after its first year, while the Americorps program continues on a year-to-year basis, struggling to raise enough money to cover costs that go far beyond the funds provided by America Reads.