Central America and the United States

Central America has endured more US interventions than any other region in the world. This history reflects the long-standing belief of US officials that their country’s global aspirations hinged on its control of an interoceanic canal cutting across the isthmus. Yet geography alone does not explain the fixation with Central America. Ever since Manifest Destiny expansion of the mid-nineteenth century, the region has also served as a proving ground for new forms of US power such as overseas settler colonialism, dollar diplomacy, and counterinsurgency strategies. Central America’s lengthy encounter with the United States has generally been viewed by scholars in dichotomous terms: Central Americans either abetted US impositions or bravely rejected them. These Manichean images of accommodation and resistance have also served as political weapons for Central Americans and foreigners alike. In reality, such images obscure the ambiguities that not only define the region’s history with the northern “colossus” but also best capture the limits of US power.

Analysis of future land use changes and water availability in the Nicaraguan Southwest as a result of the construction of the Nicaragua Interoceanic Canal

Nicaragua is preparing the construction of an interoceanic canal that will be the longest and largest canal on earth. An environmental and social impact assessment has been published in 2014 supporting a general viability of the canal. Nonetheless, several scientist and societal actors raised serious concerns regarding the social, economic and ecological sustainability. Despite an open dispute within the Nicaraguan society, no independent, transparent and scientifically sound assessment has been carried out. Only the environmental and social impact assessment, charged by the canal constructor, has so far been realized. The aim of this study is to contribute to an open scientific debate through an objective and independent quantification of land use and hydrological impacts. This article presents a transparently documented and comprehensible impact assessment investigation of the West Canal Segment of the Nicaragua Canal. Based on publically available data and scientifically sound and recognized methods land use, hydrological (water availability) and socio-economic impacts (streets, population) are described, quantified and compared with official declarations in the impact assessment. While some results support official declarations other do not. The number of affected population and the water use of the Brito Lock resulted much higher in this study, for instance. Hence, society and water availability could be affected much higher than estimated in the impact assessment.

Is China Becoming a Hegemonic Challenge in Latin America and the Caribbean? A Political Economy Analysis of the Nicaragua Interoceanic Canal Project

In this article, we provide a theoretical and empirical evaluation of the argument that China is becoming a hegemonic challenge in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). We argue that, while there is a trend that China has become increasingly dominant in the economic affairs of LAC, the perceived strength of China as a challenger to the U.S. hegemony is shaped by different strategies of Chinese involvement. Focusing on the financing arrangement for infrastructure projects, our case study of the Nicaragua Interoceanic Canal project shows that the challenge that China has posed to the U.S. hegemony might not be as strong as expected. We analyze the controversies revolving around the Canal project and examine how local communities have responded to the project. We conclude that, while the Nicaragua Interoceanic Canal project is ambitious, its success depends on how much support the PRC government and Chinese banks provide and how well the Nicaraguan government addresses the various concerns of the local communities.