Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/18/us-says-it-looks-forward-to-working-with-new-peru-president
Top United States diplomat Antony Blinken spoke with newly appointed Peruvian President Dina Boularte this month regarding cooperation and collaboration between the US and Peru. In their phone call, the two politicians made moves to have a full coverage plan to work together, with the state department reporting “The United States looks forward to working closely with President Boluarte on shared goals and values related to democracy, human rights, security, anti-corruption, and economic prosperity.” Boularte’s inauguration on December 7th followed on the heels of former President Pedro Castillo’s ousting by Congress after he made a decree with the intentions of disbanding Congress for alleged efforts towards improving law and democracy. Castillo was later arrested for charges of conspiracy and rebellion, but will wait in pre-trial detention for 18 months before coming before the court. Although the former president is no longer in power, Peru’s troubles are far from over: Boularte issued a state of national emergency after being sworn in, but is facing backlash for limiting citizen’s rights and causing deaths due to the current state of the country.
These events will have a massive effect on Peru and the United States, as this relationship will produce many varying results. For Peru and President Boularte, having US backing may prove very helpful in quelling the rising tide of protests, upset, and disquiet. However, if the US does not provide lots of hands-on aid, these talks and the subsequent relationship may prove to be mere diplomacy. However, if the US plays a larger role in the unstable situation in Peru, this could help the surrounding area and the economy, especially if American involvement comes in the form of aid. However this plays out, positive talks between Peru and the US show a change from recent norms and will most likely lead to a new perspective and change in relations between the countries.
In International Relations, we have discussed the key topics of diplomatic relationships, state and non state actors, and the nature of alliances through certain lenses. There is obviously a diplomatic relationship being formed between the United States and Peru, and this will affect both countries in a variety of ways, as discussed above. The influence of state and non-state actors also comes into play here, with individuals such as Boluarte, Castillo, Biden, and Blinken all making maneuvers that deeply affect the position of their respective countries and therefore the goings on of the world as a whole. The state actors involved, including Peru and the US, are making maneuvers as a whole, and those can be driven by the actions of those who make them up and those who lead them. This relationship also brings up the topics of realism, liberalism, and geopolitics. Through a realist lens, the actions taken by all in this situation are a result of an anarchic, unstable world, and everyone is attempting to protect themselves and the interest of their own. Realism may state that Peru is only making diplomatic efforts with the United States because they need economic and militaristic aid. From a liberal point of view, the situation is much more positive, and perhaps the US and Peru are getting along because they are taking a step towards the end goal of global cooperation. Geopolitics also comes into play, because the US and Peru are in the same hemisphere, and it is quite plausible that South American countries might be coming into more power on the global stage in the future. From this perspective, maybe the US is only pursuing a diplomatic relationship with Peru because its leaders foresee that maneuver as being profitable as time progresses.