The Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance of 1947 was intended to serve as NATO's counterpart in the Western Hemisphere, guarding against communist influence in North and South America. Not long after however, repeat U.S. involvement in overthrowing "unfriendly" or "socialistic" governments in the region all but calcified Latin America's long-standing animosity with Washington, rendering the Rio Pact a dead letter.
As such...
As such...
- Did the Rio Pact ever have a chance of functioning as intended?
- When was arguably the last chance the U.S. had at salvaging the Rio Pact?
- Would the Rio Pact have survived and been implemented more effectively under an alternate U.S. president, such as Thomas Dewey?