British relations with Latin America have declined dramatically. The strength of British influence in Latin America in the nineteenth century could not be sustained as a consequence of the two world wars, the intervening depression and the emergence of the United States of America as the major power in the region. Since 1945, despite opportunities to re-establish its presence, Britain has seen a further decline in its relations with Latin America, and the consequences of neglect were brought home in spectacular fashion by the war between Britain and Argentina in 1982. Britain and Latin America: A Changing Relationship studies the reasons for this decline, examines the sources of friction and explores the prospect of strengthening relations in the 1990s.
