Who cares about the Atlantic space? Almost no one in Latin America (Elena Sánchez, Gerardo Maldonado, Ivan Vieira)

Abstract: “The Atlantic space, which played a significant role in economic, social, and political exchanges in past centuries, has lost relevance in recent decades, largely due to the growing presence of the Pacific, particularly China. However, the Atlantic has the potential to play a fundamental role in rebuilding international trust in a scenario of tension between powers and the crisis of multilateralism. Relevant in this context is the role that public opinion can play in pressuring their governments to reactivate forgotten alliances. Within this framework, the article reviews what Latin American societies think about the Atlantic space. The findings show that despite limited interest and certain preferences for the United States and China, opportunities for cooperation persist. The results of the surveys suggest that the Latin American population still views the Atlantic as a means of developing cooperative institutions, promoting values, and generating democratic processes. This suggests that there is still room to strengthen the once-existent Atlantic ties.”

Keywords: Atlantic, Latin America, public opinion, values, institutions

Who cares about the Atlantic space? Almost no one in Latin America

About the authors
Elena Sánchez-Montijano is a Professor of the Division of International Studies at Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE) and Director of the Interdisciplinary Program of Migration Studies at CIDE | elena.sanchez@cide.edu

Gerardo Maldonado is a Professor of the Division of International Studies at Centro de
Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE) and Director of “Las Américas y el Mundo”
survey | gerardo.maldonado@cide.edu

Ivan Vieira is a PhD candidate in Political Science at Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE) | ivan.souza@alumnos.cide.edu

See also:

“Public perception and attitudes on migrants in the time of COVID-19: Mexican case” is a presentation by Professors Elena Sánchez-Montijano & Gerardo Maldonado shared by the authors during the first project webinar, the Jean Monnet Atlantic Network – Dialogues, in Panel 3 | Security and Inequality: Covid-19 and its Multilayer Impacts on the Society.