In a show of moral support, Chavez ordered the expulsion of the U.S. ambassador to Venezuela. This move was easy to understand. First of all, Chavez himself is a victim of Washington's attempted subversion. In April 2002, he was ousted from the presidential palace for 48 hours during a coup, in which the United States appeared to at least be complicit, if not actively involved. Small wonder then that Chavez not only criticizes the United States in Venezuela, but also called U.S. President George W. Bush "the devil" on the UN floor.

Chavez, Morales and former Cuban leader Fidel Castro are considered the three core figures in the "anti-U.S. axis" in the Western Hemisphere. Chavez and Morales are acknowledged worldwide as leftist leaders. The two men enjoy good personal relations and their countries have close ties as well.

Still the U.S. backyard

The emergence of the anti-U.S. axis in the Western Hemisphere has led some analysts to the conclusion that Latin America is no longer "America's backyard." This view is questionable.

Anti-U.S. sentiments in Latin America are certainly strong. Some opinion polls have shown that Bush is one of the most disliked foreign leaders there. Moreover, Latin American countries dare to challenge the United States on some major issues. Nonetheless, Latin America remains the U.S. backyard mainly because of geopolitical factors. As the only superpower in the world, the United States is bound to play a dominant role in international relations in the Western Hemisphere.

Furthermore, Latin American countries are in no position to end their economic dependence on the United States, their largest export market and main source of foreign investment. Large numbers of legal and illegal Latin American emigrants pour into the United States every year. Their remittance is a major source of foreign exchange for many Latin American countries. In some Central American countries, remittance from the United States accounts for up to 10 percent of the gross domestic product.

De-Americanization will never occur in Latin America. It is interesting to note that, for all Chavez's verbal attacks against Bush, Venezuela continues to export large amounts of oil to the United States. Likewise, although Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva often finds fault with U.S. foreign policy, relations between the two countries remain sound. When Bush visited Brazil in November 2005, pictures showing Lula and Bush shaking hands with big smiles were all over Brazilian newspapers and websites. In conclusion, cooperation and confrontation are both basic features of U.S.-Latin America relations.

A focus of attention

Many international observers believe that the prime reason for the disputes between the United States and Latin American countries in recent years is that the United States neglected Latin America as it adjusted its global strategy after the Cold War. Others argue that the United States, which shifted its diplomatic focus to antiterrorism following the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, has little time for the relatively peaceful Latin America. Given the lack of U.S. attention, Latin American leftists reemerged to forge an anti-U.S. axis in the Western Hemisphere.

During the Cold War, especially after the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, the United States gave top priority to guarding against the communist influence from the Soviet Union in its security strategy for the Western Hemisphere. It took a series of measures to control Latin America. For example, President John F. Kennedy established the Alliance for Progress to provide economic assistance to Latin American countries. The United States used military means to overthrow hostile regimes, replacing them with pro-U.S. dictators to curb leftist forces. It also sold U.S. culture and Western-style democracy to Latin American countries by exporting Hollywood movies, books and magazines, promoting U.S. consumption patterns and enrolling Latin American students.

Of course, substantive changes have taken place in relations between the United States and Latin America since the end of the Cold War. As the Soviet Union no longer exists, the United States has shifted its focus from security to the economic field. U.S. leaders frequently visit Latin American countries to engage in dialogue on major issues such as immigration, antiterrorism, the anti-drug campaign, and trade and investment. It has reached bilateral free trade agreements with many Latin American countries in recent years. Since the early 1990s, the United States has held four Summits of the Americas with Latin American countries. In addition, the United States uses multilateral mechanisms such as the Organization of American States to exercise its influence in the Western Hemisphere. Latin America is sure to get further attention as the United States consolidates its sphere of influence, no matter which party gains control of the White House.

The author is deputy director of the Institute of Latin America at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences