United States foreign policy toward Latin America has moved beyond the ideological impulses that have dominated in recent decades. Today there is a pragmatic and selective approachstrictly based on cost-benefit analysis. In this context, the Argentine government’s strategy – an open and unrestricted rapprochement with Washington – combines concrete opportunities with obvious risks, especially because the White House no longer acts out of political affinities but out of defined interests.
1. American pragmatism
Washington no longer intervenes in the region to shape political systems or support allies for ideological reasons. Their attention is focused on areas where the costs are acceptable and the benefits to their security, their economy or their domestic politics are clear.. Mileis Argentina is trying, with a frontal and disruptive speech, to intervene in this scheme by approaching the United States directly. However, since this connection is carried out from a strictly instrumental point of view, the expectations of automatic accompaniment are assumed.
U.S. policy toward Latin America focuses heavily on migration, security, and organized crime, with an emphasis on Mexico and Central America. In these areas, Argentine rhetoric can be symbolically aligned with Washington, but it must provide sufficient incentives (e.g. on weapons and security) for the US to commit significant resources.
2. China: strategic challenge and conditional opportunity
Due to China’s growing presence in the region, Argentina is under greater scrutiny. Milei has proposed an explicit distancing from Beijing and a full rapprochement with Washington. This shift could open up space for cooperation, particularly in areas where China competes for influence. However, the US is not prepared to confront Beijing on every project or to automatically replace Chinese investment. For Argentina, the key is to coordinate decisions without overestimating the support Washington is willing to provide.
3. Critical resources and energy: a selective interest
Argentina has strategic assets – lithium, renewable energy and critical resources – that fit into US priorities related to supply chains, energy transition and technological competition with China. Milei has sought to attract investment and liberalize these sectors. Despite it, US support will depend less on political affinity and more on stable conditions, regulatory predictability and economic viability of the country and projects.
4. Economics, governance and limits of external support
Persistent inflation, fiscal imbalances and institutional fragilities represent an internal situation that the United States is monitoring with caution. The pace and depth of reforms proposed by the Argentine government still cause uncertainty, which is why Washington appears unwilling to provide significant financial or technical support beyond specific initiatives. For the White House, local stability is an essential prerequisite.
5. Selectivity as a rule
Four variables play a role in American calculation: Migration, security, strategic resources and Chinese presence.
Outside these areas, Washington’s interest in intervention is waning. This reflects a structural change: Latin America is no longer a central front for US foreign policy and Today it only receives questions that directly affect its interests.
This approach responds to both external and internal factors. After the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the American public rejects costly new commitments. Congress demands fiscal rationality and foreign policy is less prone to intensive intervention. The result is a more restrained hemispheric strategy with an emphasis on flexible alliances, sanctions, deterrence and targeted cooperation rather than grand multilateral plans or unconditional support..
6. Global leadership under new rules
Although the United States is trying to maintain its leadership role, it is no longer willing to do so “at any cost.” Its competition with China and Russia is based on containment, technology, agreements with allies and cost sharing. Unlimited interventionism was no longer an acceptable instrument of American domestic policy.
Conclusion: The Argentine challenge
American selectivity requires that Argentina combine international openness with a prudent and realistic strategy. The political alignment with Washington does not guarantee automatic support: every decision is assessed based on whether it is of particular benefit to US interests.. Rather, in a context where improvisation is unforgivable, the challenge for Argentina is to build an international presence that capitalizes on strategic opportunities without creating dependencies or unfounded expectations.
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