Hegemonic Peace in South America: Fact or Fiction?

Abstract

South American states have avoided a major intra-regional war since the Chaco War in 1935. Several experts characterize this development as the “hegemonic peace.” They surmise that the U.S. hegemonic management has prevented the outbreak of major wars. Contrary to this interpretation, I argue that the U.S. primacy has been inconsequential for intra-regional peace. Thus, I discuss the theoretical underpinnings of the hegemonic peace hypothesis, operationalize its causal argument, and ascertain its explanatory value in light of several cases of militarized interstate disputes. My findings corroborate that the U.S. hegemonic management is a tenuous explanation of the South American peace.