S26S-111 US Relations with Latin America
Stillwater | Registration opens 1/6/2026 12:00 AM CST
I will provide an overview of the relationship between the US and Latin America from US independence to the present day, with a focus on several distinct periods, such as the 19th century and the development of United Fruit in Central America, the War with Mexico, World War II and the post-war period, and US involvement across the region in the 1970s (including the School of the Americas).
Dr. Marten Brienen
Dr. Martin Brienen is an Associate Professor of Global Studies at Oklahoma State University. He taught in both the African and Latin American Studies Programs at the University of Miami from 2004 to 2013. From 2011 to 2013, he served as the director of the Latin American Studies Program at UM. Dr. Brienen earned his PhD in sociology and political sciences from the University of Amsterdam and his masters in Latin American history from Leiden University in the Netherlands. While he has worked on a variety of subjects, the fundamental principle that binds them together is his ongoing interest in the struggle between marginalized populations and the interests of states in the process of national construction in Africa and Latin America. From that perspective, he has in recent years focused primarily on security, drug trafficking, organized crime, prisons, and complex emergencies.